Star Wars Prequel Reboot:
by JedIsolationist
Summary: An alternate telling of the end of the Old Republic, and the rise of the Empire. We meet Anakin Lars from Tatooine, and the Princess Breha from Alderaan.
1. Anakin

1.

Among the vast empty plains of the planet Tatooine, the homestead stood alone and dark. From a distance, there were only a few small structures noticeable on the barren, rocky landscape. Most of the rooms and living spaces were built off of a deep, wide pit dug into the desert bedrock. This was the easiest way to protect the habitat from the worst of the elements, and provide a comfortable space in which to live.

A strong gale was blowing down from the Judland wastes, kicking up a haze of dust in the slow brightening of early morning. Soon the wind would grow stronger as was common during the harsh season between harvests. The last of the laborers, a mix of native and off world families that would descend on the region during harvest, had left nearly two weeks ago, and the quiet that remained was becoming difficult for Anakin to bear.

He woke from a dream, common and unsettling. In it, he was being drawn into a black void. Not falling, but slowly being enveloped in it like a blanket with infinite folds. He did not feel suffocated, but he did feel lost. Once inside the void he was unable to find his way out, his way home. Every time that he thought he was on the brink of escaping from the darkness, he would suddenly know that he had somehow circled back to find himself at the center of it again. It was as if the nothingness was alive, playing with him, tricking him.

The recurring vision made him feel weak and uneasy, which was far from the reality of his everyday life. Anakin was a strong young man, able bodied, fast, sure, and intelligent. He was an exceptionally good mechanic as well. All of this made him endlessly useful on the farm, not only with manual labor, but also fixing broken down and outdated equipment. Thanks to Anakin, his parents saved precious time, and credits, that they did not have.

He had been working at a rate to match any of the hired hands for at least six seasons now, even though he was still young. When he was several years younger, they had often mocked him when they first arrived, thinking that the skinny youth would just slow them down, but within a few days they would realize that he was beginning to make them look bad, and then some would stop talking to him altogether. Over the past year, however, Anakin had grown, and had filled out substantially, giving him a new air of maturity. The last set of hired hands that had come and gone had treated him with almost the same respect that they held for his father, realizing that Anakin may be the boss of this farm someday.

Anakin shook his head to clear the memories of his unpleasant dreams. He slid quietly off of his cushioned block, up a long tunnel, through a messy storage room, and then slipped out into the deep red light of a rising sun. Dull shadows began to appear as he pulled his roughly hewn cloak across his face to keep the choking particles out of his nose and mouth. Across the compound he could hear three dewbacks grunting at the irritating dust, as they tried to salvage the small amount of moisture that had collected on their scales overnight with their long, serpentine tongues. He took off towards them, trying to keep his back to the worst of the blowing sands.

"Father should have brought you into the station days ago" he spoke softly to the beasts. "we don't have the proper shelter for you here to keep you safe during the storms."

Normally at this time of year, the wild native dewbacks in the region would gather in herds along the large rocky outcroppings, ridges, and canyons to the north, seeking refuge from the worst of the harsh weather. It rarely rained in this region, or anywhere else on Tatooine for that matter, but if it did, the natural rock formations would collect and hold water much longer than the open plains. This could be an unusual treat for any species hiding among the rocks.

There was water on the planet, but it was mostly trapped in the atmosphere, and was seldom manifested in any form other than vapor. That was where the moisture farms came in. They would use large high efficiency condensers to pull the water out of the air and collect it into large underground cisterns, which would later be pumped and moved to the various population centers in the area. Typically, these large scale extractions would rotate through the farm's sixty-eight collection points three times a year, with the longest break in work occurring during the yearly storms.

Anakin lifted and leaned a large sheet of scrap metal up and against the thick wire fencing which penned the animals in. The wires sagged from the weight, but after checking the supports he nodded to himself, satisfied that they would hold.

"That should keep you a bit more comfortable in the meantime," he continued to inspect the remaining support poles and the heavy gate latch, making sure it was tight. "hopefully the winds won't get much worse today."

A swirling vortex of sand appeared and quickly dissipated while Anakin made his way back to the main habitat entrance. Just as he was approaching the dugout, the second sun broke the horizon. Larger and brighter than the other star of the Tatoo system, this began to make the shadows sharper and the air seem instantly warmer.

"Not surprising that this land is laid waste every day" he thought to himself, watching for a moment as the flying sands continued to brighten and shimmer, reflecting the light in every possible direction. He knew that within moments the air around him would not only be difficult to breath, but also impossibly blinding. He stood for a few more heartbeats and let the light wash over him, drawing him into its center, before he finally ducked through the sunken door and down into the dugout entry chamber.

...

"Anakin? Are you up and about already?" Cliegg Lars was plodding up the ramp from the lower living chambers. He grabbed a crate that was halfway up the tunnel and hauled it into the room. Cliegg was a burly man of medium height; broad in the shoulders and thick in the neck. Anakin was already taller than him, with a leaner, more athletic physique. "I told your brother to finish clearing all of this out days ago! I wish he could be a little more responsible," he glanced around at the precariously stacked boxes and equipment, "and organized."

"Go easy on Owen, dad," Anakin smiled, observing the disarray around him as if just noticing it, "He's still young yet."

Anakin knew that his little brother had been spending most of his days recently in the shop, trying to figure out how to install a new converter unit in a broken down T-6 speeder. Owen wanted so much to be like his big brother, but nothing ever seemed to come easy for him like it did for Anakin.

"Young enough to be lazy, old enough to get into trouble every five seconds," Cliegg frowned and added the crate in his hands to one of the piles. "I don't know what to do with that boy."

"Is it ok if I bring the dewbacks into the station later?" Anakin changed the subject. "I don't think they are enjoying the weather much."

"In this wind?" Cliegg grimaced.

"They'll be fine dad, and so will I." Anakin stood tall to show he wasn't worried.

"You're not indestructible you know…"

"Besides, if we don't take them soon we really will be stuck with them. You don't want to have to pay old Tosche for off season leases, do you? Plus, I would have to keep feeding them." Anakin started towards the ramp back down to the lower living quarters. "And I don't think mom would appreciate the smell if we had to bring them inside."

As usual, Anakin seemed to know exactly what to say to convince Cliegg. "Well, I guess if the storm doesn't get worse you can take them, just leave by midday so that you'll have plenty of time. Tell Merl I'll settle up our account next time I'm in town. And when you see your brother, please tell him to get this mess cleaned up… on top of all his other chores!"

"I will dad. You know, I'm sure I was just like that at his age," Anakin shouted as he headed down the tunnel to find something to eat.

"No," the lines around Cliegg's eyes seemed to deepen as he looked out at the dancing diamonds of light beyond the doorway, "you are nothing like each other."


	2. Breha

2.

Twenty-eight enormous ellipsoid craft silently entered orbit around Alderaan from hyperspace. On the planet, alarm sensors tripped almost instantly and the Chancellor was notified of the incursion. The young planetary senator that was with him kept his calm demeanor as administrators flew around his office trying to make sense of the information pouring in through the com units.

"Those are trade federation vessels Senator;" one of the controllers remarked as the images because clearer on the scanners. "It must be more than half the syndicate up there…" He flipped a switch so that everyone present could see the alarming number of sensor contacts on the larger display screen on the side of the room.

"Senator Organa, what in the devil is going on here?" Asked Chancellor Valorum. His voice was steady and commanding, but it seemed obvious that he was shaken by the sudden presence of the federation fleet.

Bail Organa turned to look out of the large window at the western end of the office. There were rolling hills of lush green forest not far from the capitol building, and imposing snowcapped mountains beyond. An opening in the forest canopy revealed a long shimmering lake, and he could see the brightly colored sail of a small skiff making its way down the length of it.

"Alderaan has been shifting away from the syndicate for some time, Chancellor" hazarded Organa, "I fear that they may have had enough of our posturing towards independence and would like us to… reconsider their offer?"

Alderaan was the crowning jewel of a large planetary system right on the border of the core worlds and the outer rim of the galaxy. Due to the vast resources, and strategic position of the system, the trade federation did not want to lose their hold on Alderaan; but for the very same reasons, Alderaan no longer needed the backing of the federation in order to continue successful commerce. The planet's ruling family had been allowing charters and agreements to expire for many years, and payments to the syndicate had finally stopped altogether. It was a perfectly legal and predictable move, however the Trade Federation needed Alderaan, and would not let go so easily.

"Offer?" The Chancellor rebuffed, "the federation does not make offers, only demands."

"It makes sense..." Bail said quietly, not realizing he had said it out loud.

"What makes sense?" The chancellor was about to say more, but was cut off by the roar of small fighter craft descending on the city. They came from the direction of the lake and leveled off, heading straight for their building. The craft were small one-man fighters with a central cockpit pod and large angled shield arrays surrounding the sides. Bail had seen a similar configuration before at the Santhe/Sienar ship yards on Lianna. They were small, light, cheap, disposable, but still deadly. When they reached the capitol complex, the broke to the right and began to circle the fringes of the city.

"That they would come now, during your visit," the senator continued more confidently and then turned to look at the chancellor, "Two birds… one stone"

The fighters continued to loop around the capitol in tight formation, putting on an aggressive show of force. Then the Senator spotted several troop transports slowly descending through the clear, blue atmosphere; intent on setting down in the center city spaceport.

"Jan!" Bail called to Lieutenant Dodanna, who was working one of the scanners in the corner of the office. "Is there any way you might have a moment…," his voice caught suddenly as he choked back mounting concern, "to locate Breha for me?"

Dodanna approached Bail and touched his friend's shoulder, "Of course Senator. Right away." Jan gave a solute, then left the office walking, but Bail could hear his boots pick up to a sprint as soon as he reached to corridor. Bail turned to look out of the window once more, but now as he watched the growing confusion in the city below him, his future bride was all he was able to think about.

...

Jan ran quickly from the central offices and around the perimeter causeway until he reached the political housing block. Although the wedding was still months away and her mother greatly disapproved, the Princess was spending more and more time at the Senator's residence. Knowing what the future must eventually hold, she thought it would be best for the time being to live as simply as possible, and enjoy their time together, while it was still possible to do so. They both knew that their future of public service, and public scrutiny, would be difficult and strenuous; it was of great consolation that they would at least be able to weather the complications together.

When Breha heard the fighters roaring about the city, her first thought was that there was an impromptu military display for the Chancellor's visit. It wasn't often that the titular leader of the republic was able to get away from his administrative duties and take a tour of the systems that made up the galactic government body. The problem was, Alderaan by tradition had no standing military other than a smattering of officers and administrators that were really more a part of the political hierarchy. She supposed that the seven populated planets of the system might have been able to pull something together on short notice though, at least enough to give…

"Princess?" She heard the familiar voice coming from the lower level entrance. "Excuse me, your highness? Are you here?"

"Jan?" She called back, "Jan, is that you?"

Then she saw him, ascending the stairs two at a time. He seemed out of breath, and filled with apprehension. "My god Jan, you seem quite anxious, what's wrong?" she turned her head, anxiously waiting for him to catch his breath. Her two thin braids hung down just in from of her ears and disappeared into the folds of her collar. "And what's with all of the maneuvers over the city? I didn't know you were planning any flyovers today. Is it because of the chancellor's visit?"

"The Federation, your highness, they… they are here. Landing in the city right now." Jan moved to the windows to see if the troops had begun to disembark from the carriers yet, however he could not see the port clearly from this section of the city. Most of the streets were almost clear of people though, as everyone took shelter inside, not quite sure if they should be fearful or not.

"Trade Federation? You must be joking!" She moved towards the window as well, and stood next to the Lieutenant. "There is no way they would be so bold as to move against us without some legal justification. We've been bargaining with them for years and they've never given any indication that force would be…"

"Breha, please… "Jan suddenly lost all pretense, "Bail is at his office, with the Chancellor."

The gravity of the situation descended on her quickly and she lost her breath, feeling as if her heart might stop. "Bail," she whispered and unconsciously rubbed the shining band around her finger. Finally, her feet started moving, lost in a cloud but with a clear sense of direction and purpose. "What are you waiting for?" She called back to the lieutenant from the staircase, and Jan started to follow her back out onto the causeway.

...

Running Down the two-way mag mover, the Lieutenant chased after Breha. Everyone had disappeared, and warning sirens cycled methodically between a higher and lower pitch while strobes on the buildings flashed in unison. It only took a minute to get to the capitol block and Jan caught up to the princess just as they began to round the corner into the grand square. He spotted troops running across the parklike serenity of the public space, and then he heard blaster fire. The federation soldiers were wearing armor plating on their chests and backs, and helmets with visors which obscured their faces.

Jan grabbed Breha's arm and turned her behind a support column for one of the outer office buildings. He heard one more laser blast and peeked around the column to get a better view. The troops had blasted open the main entry doors and were now entering the main office tower that stood adjacent to the legislative forum, right where he had left Bail and the chancellor. It seemed that Bail's suspicions had been correct, the federation had known exactly how to time this attack, and would have valuable hostages to show for it. Then he spotted a new cluster of troops moving across the green square surrounding a tall figure wearing a garish, red headdress.

"It can't be" Jan gasped, refocusing his eyes.

"Oh, it is" answered Breha as she peeked over the Lieutenant's shoulder. "Viceroy Gunray, as opulent as ever. He must realize this will be short lived! As soon as the senate gets word the republic will send an army."

"But they have the chancellor, and will be well fortified by the time that any resistance arrives." Jan turned back behind the pillar. "Who knows when this could end."

In his pocket, his com unit began to hum. He pulled it out and looked at the display, seeing the indicator for a coded message. He searched the jumble of characters for the key and then applied the correct algorithm to decode the entire message. It only took a moment for the unreadable text to transform into a message from Bail. The lieutenant scanned the entire communication twice, slowly nodding.

"Slight change of plans, your highness," He said as authoritatively as he could. "I'm sorry, but Senator Organa has ordered me to evacuate you."

Breha stiffened, dumbstruck. "Evacuate? Are you kidding? Just leave? I've got to get in there…" She began to bolt around the column that had been hiding them from view but Jan was faster and grabbed her again. "Let me go! I've got to get to Bail!"

"And do what?" Jan stifled a yell between his teeth. "Give them another hostage? Another member of the royal family on top of Bail and the chancellor?"

"At least we'll be together, and they would never harm us, they would lose all of their bargaining chips!" she said as she struggled out of his grip.

"Up until an hour ago, I would have said there were a lot of things they wouldn't do, your highness. But they have proven me quite wrong on all counts!" Jan crossed his arms and leaned on the tall smooth column, leaving the next move the Breha.

She stood out in the open, looking longingly at the capitol structure; incensed that she did not know what was going on in there. There were still groups of soldiers assembling in the square only three hundred yards from where she stood, yet strangely, none of them seemed to have spotted her yet, standing alone in a flowing robe of white and blue. As she drank in the beautiful vision of buildings, forests, and mountains that had been her home her entire life, she began to realize that this may be the last time she sees them for a very long time… perhaps ever. Jan was right, there was no point in surrendering herself, she could do more pleading their cause to the Senate herself, possible drastically reducing the time it would take to respond in force.

"Highness?" whispered Jan, wondering what she was doing. "Princess?"

She looked for just a moment more, sorrow encompassing her, until her view became blurry from her tears. "Goodbye Bail… I'll be back as soon as I can," she whispered softly, and then turned back to the lieutenant, and followed him quickly around the back of the building.

...

"Viceroy Gunray," Bail said flatly as the head of the Trade Federation walked into his office behind a trio of heavily armed and armored troops. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"

"Mmmm, the pleasure is all mine Senator," Gunray hissed as he reached the center of the room. He was tall and lanky to begin with, and the oversized headdress that he wore made him seem even more awkward to the senator. The skin of his long neck and face were purplish gray in color, and his large eyes were dark, silvery and eerily reflective. "Chancellor, what an unexpected surprise!" he bowed deeply in the direction of Valorum. "So happy that you could be here for this historic occasion."

"And tell us, Viceroy," Valorum retorted, "What is it that will make this day significant? Your illegal invasion of a sovereign system?"

"Ha, illegal? As of yesterday, the last charter signed between Alderaan and the Federation expired, which means that our declaration of war as of this morning is completely and totally legitimate." The Viceroy began to pace slowly back and forth in front of Bail and the Chancellor, as if giving a speech to a large audience from a stage. "Furthermore, Once the Senator here signs the articles of surrender, the Alderaan system will be officially annexed by the aforementioned Federation, which will then become for the first time in its history, a territorial entity, and, as you say, 'sovereign', in its own right. Perhaps then we will have sufficient relief from the ridiculous and prohibitive taxes that you and your good republic senate have stifled the Federation with all these years. The royal family, members of the planetary politico and, of course, yourself will make excellent assurances that we are not interfered with."

"Impossible!" Bail looked astounded by the narrative that Gunray offered. "You know as well as I do that the Federation will not be able to hold the Alderaan system indefinitely." He tried to look at the situation from a different point of view but could not calculate a logical explanation. "What is your true motive here, Viceroy? Where are you expecting the gambit to lead you?"

The Chancellor winced at this last comment, concerned with the loose insinuations that Bail was making. "Senator, now is not the time to resist. The syndicate clearly has the upper hand, at least for the moment. Let's not undermine ourselves by reacting foolishly."

The Viceroy was about to continue the oratory when one of the Federation soldiers entered the room and began to whisper into his ear. A frown began to extend across his face from cheek to cheek, then he looked at the Senator. His eyes seemed to widen even larger than before. "Mmmm, and where would we find Senator Palpatine and the young princess Breha? It seems that they are both, as yet, unaccounted for."

The Chancellor looked at Bail and then back to the Viceroy, "Senator Palpatine left for Coruscant shortly before you arrived I'm afraid. And the princess…"

"Is on retreat I believe," interrupted Bail. "Yes, last I heard she went to her highness's mountain retreat." He motioned with his chin out the window, in the direction of the blue, snowcapped mountains in the distance. "I would imagine that is where you could find her."

Gunray motioned to the officer who then marched back out of the office. "Thank you gentlemen for being so cooperative," he bowed again to honor the chancellor, "It would be unfortunate if this had to get messy…"

...

Breha and Jan quickly realized that approaching the spaceport would be impossible. The concentration of Federation troop activity in the area was overwhelming, and the royal transport had already been surrounded and put on lockdown. It was obvious that they had been looking for anyone hiding in the ship or attempting to make an escape. They ducked into a small café which appeared to be empty except for tables and chairs, but where the door had been left wide open.

"Seriously?" laughed Breha. "Is this our only option? We may as well surrender, I don't think we thought this through. There's is no way we can get off planet without being noticed."

"Strange," Jan sighed, "I don't recall the Federation ever being so well organized and efficient, yet it would appear that all of the ships have been secured already." He flopped into a chair near the service counter and crossed his arms.

"Well," said a disembodied voice floating in from somewhere in the room. "I wouldn't say _every_ ship,"

They looked around wildly and Jan instinctively jumped up and stepped in front of the princess, although he wasn't sure what or where the danger might be. But after a brief moment of confusion, they both saw that a man was sitting in the back corner of the room, leaning back in a chair with his feet up on a table. He was dressed very plainly, with a light brown tunic and a very worn and baggy looking pair of trousers. His hair was a sandy color, and he had the slight shadow of a beard on his cheeks. He looked very out of place in the metropolitan capitol of Alderaan.

"Who are you?" demanded Jan. "Where did you come from?"

"I've been here the whole time," answered the mysterious stranger with a wave of his hand, then looked down at Jan's hip with a frown. "Don't you carry a blaster? Not a very effective body guard if you ask me…"

"We don't carry weapons on Alderaan," Jan retorted, "it is a planet of peace!"

"Yes, well, until today it seems," the man swung his feet from the table and stood up quickly. "Don't worry, I applaud your conviction. I don't carry a blaster either, much too crude a weapon! Anyway, I think I may be able to help you, if you're interested?"

"Help us?" said Breha, slanting her eyes at the stranger. "How? Why?"

"Well, I have a ship for starters. It might be a bit cramped for the three of us but I think we can probably manage." He moved towards the door and peeked outside. "And to answer your other question, as to why?" He smiled slyly, "I just like to help."

He pulled a small white cylinder out of his tunic and brought it towards his mouth, "R2, I think we're ready here." A whistle came from the device in an apparent reply, and then he stepped out through the door as a rush of engines came from the courtyard between the building they were in and the next one down the block.

"Do you trust him?" Jan whispered to Breha as they stood in the doorway of the café.

"I think we have to." Breha sighed and followed the stranger around the building into the courtyard. Jan followed, trying to get out of the street as quickly as possible. They scurried up the gangplank of a small, white shuttle and the stranger followed them on board, stopping momentarily to punch in the code to close the ramp.

"Who are you?" Jan asked the man again over the thrum of engines. "How did you know where we would be?"

"I find," the stranger began with a wise twinkle in his eye, "that if I listen, the force will usually lead me to where I am needed the most."


	3. Anchorhead

3.

Owen Lars was in the hydroponics bay, picking red leafy vegetables for his mother to go with their midday meal. The bay was basically just a long, sunken trench with a semitransparent covering which allowed filtered sunlight to reach the plants. The water in the growing troughs came directly from the moisture vaporator closest to the house through an underground pipe. The moisture level in the air was also kept higher than in the rest of the underground spaces, which is why it was the only room on the homestead with a door that sealed. Owen was just thinking that he should have enough when he heard the door open, and his older brother walked in. Anakin was carrying a bantha hide satchel and an oversized canteen over his shoulder.

"Are you going somewhere?" Owen asked. "Are you going to Anchorhead?"

Anakin starting grabbing a few of the root vegetables from the growing troughs and put them in his bag. "Yup, just getting a few things for lunch," he took a bite of one of the peppery bulbs that looked ready and decided to add a few more to the bag.

Owen's eyes lit up, "oh, can I come? Please?"

"Sorry, not today Owen. I'm driving those Dewbacks in, and it's going to be a long slow ride. You would get bored."

"And you won't?" Owen complained, "I could keep you company! Come on, it would be fun…"

"Doubtful that it's going to be all that much fun in this wind storm," Anakin latched his satchel closed and headed to a water spigot which fed off of the main line to fill his canteen. "Besides, I don't think that dad would be too happy, you have a lot of chores to catch up on…"

"Aw man, this stinks," Owen threw the collection bin he was using onto a table near the door controls. Some of the food he had picked bounced out of it and fell to the ground. "I get all of the poodoo jobs and never get to go anywhere!"

"Sorry Kid," Anakin headed back through the door, stepping over the mess his brother had made. "Next time, I promise."

Owen kicked the door after it closed, sat on the floor with his back to it and then sighed. After a minute he started picking up and rinsing off what had fallen out of his collection bin.

...

The going was slow, slower than Anakin had originally anticipated. The dewbacks were upset by the storm and did not like being led by the speeder hovering only a few meters in front of them. Anakin played out the lines a little longer so the thrusters wouldn't scare the beasts as much, but they were still reticent to follow easily. It seemed that one of them would balk and whine every couple of minutes, causing the speeder to buck and wobble against the pull.

"You guys will be much happier if you just get this over with!" Anakin kept yelling back at them. "If I had a bigger speeder, I would have no problem dragging you all the way to Anchorhead!"

Anakin had a dust mask over his mouth and goggles over his eyes, and his cloak was pulled as tightly as possible around his face to keep the irritating particles from getting into his clothes and against his skin. He felt as if he must look like one of the local Sand People driving a stolen speeder. Anakin laughed at the thought of himself raiding unsuspecting travelers on the plains and valleys of Tatooine.

The two suns had become lost in a haze of high altitude blowing sand, and were now just barely visible glowing discs in the sky. Because of the storm Anakin could barely see past the front of the speeder, but he knew that they were finally getting closer to town when the desert began sloping down in front of them, and he corrected course to head directly towards the valley floor. Fortunately, as they descended into the wide basin where Anchorhead was situated, the blowing sand seemed to lessen, and soon Anakin could see the outline of a few buildings far ahead.

When he finally pulled the speeder up to the station on the outskirts of the settlement, there was no one outside. He released the leads from the speeder and tied the dewbacks to a hitching post at the corner of the building. He found Merl Tosche inside the cramped workshop next to the main storage warehouse.

"Hey, Anakin!" Merl bellowed as he spotted the tall boy coming through the ramshackle, rusted door. "Pretty lousy day to take a ride into town, isn't it?" he dropped the conduits he was unraveling and came out from behind his workbench while cleaning oil from his hands with a big shop towel. Then he closed in and gave Anakin a quick, though spine crushing hug. "What does your dad need now? You guys aren't working in this, are you?"

"No, I just brought your dewbacks in," Anakin laughed. "Sorry it took so long to return them to you."

"Ah! The beasts!" chuckled Merl, peeking out the window. "My, they must have enjoyed the long walk in this weather! I'm surprised you made it at all with those three in tow. How long did it take you?"

"Few hours at least," Anakin started looking around the shop, examining some of the more interesting components that were sitting on shelves and bins. "We left just about mid-day. Dad says he'll settle up with you next time he's in town."

"No worries, Ani. And don't worry about returning them late, no one could use them in these storms anyway." He looked back at the mess on his work bench and seemed suddenly uninterested in going back to work. "Since you're here, why don't you come into the lounge and have some dinner with me?" I've been here alone all day and could use the company!"

"Well, yeah, I guess" Anakin said, realizing his stomach was rumbling. "I am awfully hungry, the dust mask made it kind of hard to snack on the trip over here." He followed Merl through a small hidden door in the back of the shop which led directly into a small lounge area in the front corner of the warehouse.


	4. R2

4.

As the three fugitives broke free of the atmosphere, one of the large Trade Federation ships rapidly closed on their position, firing intense, superheated laser blasts in their direction. Their small ship rocked, jarred and jumped from the heavy barrage of fire careening off of the rapidly weakening forward deflectors.

"Don't worry!" their mysterious benefactor shouted over the noise of the blasts. "I'll have us out of here in a second!" He slammed the controls to the left and cut across the line of fire and into a parallel but opposite course from the immense ship. It would take the enormous ship several seconds now to retarget the smaller craft, hopefully allowing just enough time to make their escape.

"Where are we going exactly?" Breha yelled back from cramped fuselage seats located just behind the cockpit. She could see that their pilot was hurriedly keying coordinates into the NAV computer, trying to make the jump to hyperspace before the next bombardment tore the ship apart. "We need to get to the Senate chambers on Coruscant, I need to inform the Senate of what has happened here!"

"I have a very strong feeling that they already know, highness" said the man surreptitiously, raising his eyebrows. He began pushing the hyperspace thruster controls forward, and Breha could feel the ship lurch forward, accelerating to light speed. "We would be better off finding some immediate assistance and guidance, and I have just the…"

A massive explosion hit the ship. Jan and Breha were thrown from their seats as the entire cabin filled with smoke. After the initial explosion, Breha heard a loud screech of ripping metal, a sudden rush of air, and then a large crash. Warning lights flashed from every control panel while flame retardant automatically shot from the front and back corners of the cabin. Breha felt something roll past her and heard a series of beeps and whistles before she fell unconscious.

...

Soon the smoke began to clear and Breha woke up, slowly opening her eyes. Sore and disoriented, the young princess was able to prop herself up against the seats. She saw Jan lying in a heap beside some canisters which had dislodged from the wall of the ship in the explosion. Carefully, she made her way to him, crawling on her hands and knees, coughing to try to clear the smoke from her lungs. She removed some of the canisters from around him, and checked to see if he was breathing. He was unconscious, but he was alive and had no outward signs of any serious injuries. His chest was moving slowly and she could hear his heart beating when she pressed her ear against him.

She could see that the emergency bulkhead between the cockpit and cabin had closed, and there was a small astromech droid right in front of it, interfacing with the main terminal. The droid turned its primary optical sensor towards her, and let out a long, mournful, whine.

"Hello," she said cautiously, still coughing. "Did you turn on the cabin exhaust for us?"

He let out a single polyphonic chirp, and continued to look at her.

"What about your friend, I mean, your master? Is he ok?" She could see that there was a very small, round window in the bulkhead, but she could see nothing but blackness through it.

The blue and white droid turned his shining sensor dome slowly to the right, then back to the left, and let out another deep whine.

Breha stood up slowly and made her way to the small window and looked through. The cockpit was gone, totally blown away by the Federation ship. The stars appeared blurred in soft lines, which meant that they were still in hyperspace and had successfully made their escape, or at least two of them had.

She sat back down between Jan and the droid, and checked again to make sure that Jan was still breathing. She wondered what was occurring now back on Alderaan, what Viceroy Gunray and the Federation were really up to. If only Bail hadn't been in the office this morning, if the Chancellor had not been visiting, maybe they could have escaped together. Now, she felt enormously alone. Her only companion was the droid that had likely saved her from being blown into space or captured by the Federation. Somehow, this little astromech had managed to keep the ship together, and had kept them on course. The only problem was; she didn't know what course they were on. Perhaps he was also damaged, and was leading them nowhere…

"You're an R2 unit, aren't you?" Breha asked, trying to gauge the little droid's aptitude. "Are you able to control the ship from that panel?" Near the droid's base, she noticed the little white com device that the droid's owner had used to communicate with it laying in the pile of debris. She picked it up and put it in a pocket of her robe. Near where the com unit had been she also found another cylindrical device. It was made of a silvery metal, about two hand lengths long, and seemed to have black grips for easy handling. She figured it must be some sort of spanner, or other tool. Not sure if it was dangerous or not, she decided to leave it where it was.

The astromech let out a series of squawks, and then a high rising beep, almost as if he were trying to ask her a question in return.

"I'm Breha," She said, pleased that she was able to keep up the conversation. Then she motioned towards Lieutenant Dodanna, "and this is Jan. I think he's ok, I hope he wakes up soon."

The R2 unit looked back at the bulkhead, trying his best to peer out of the small window again, and then turned back to the two unlikely passengers. He made no further sounds, but seemed to slump down a bit towards the floor.

"I know," Breha breathed and looked towards the wall where the cockpit had been previously. "I'm sorry, R2."


	5. Obi Wan

5.

"I didn't know I was in the mood for Womp Rat Stew, Merl," Anakin said as he leaned back in his chair and wiped his face and hands with a napkin. "But I've got to tell you, that was, um, surprisingly good!"

"Good! Good! Would you care to wash it down with a jug of Bantha Blood fizz?" Merl asked, reaching behind him and picking up a small wooden jug from the bar.

Any farmers and hands would spend time at the bar and lounge of the station during the peak of the harvest, but now it was eerily quiet, and the sound of the wind buffeting against the warehouse was a bit unnerving for anyone that found themselves trying to relax in the lounge that day.

"Well, thanks, but I really do need to head back soon, Merl." Anakin pushed his chair back and stood up. "It's probably already getting dark out and dad will have a fit. Why don't I help you get those Dewbacks into the stable before I head home?"

"Oh, Anakin. Always so serious, concentrating on the job at hand. Well, you'll make an excellent farmer someday, eh?"

The door to the warehouse suddenly crashed opened and at first both Merl and Anakin thought it must have been the wind, but then cloaked figure came stumbling through the door and fell into a writhing heap. Both of them left their dinner plates behind and rushed over to see what was going on. Merl hesitated from getting too close at first, frightened by the violent seizures, but soon he steeled himself, reached down, and rolled the figure onto his back so that they could see what they were dealing with. The face behind the cloak was covered in sand and dirt, and the expression was a dire grimace of pain the likes of which Anakin could not fathom, but Merl had been able to recognize the man immediately.

"Obi Wan?" he cried, horrified at what he was seeing. "Obi Wan, what's wrong?" He tried to get a hold of the man beneath the shoulders and then looked at Anakin. "Help me get him over to one of the booths!"

They carried him to a long padded booth seat in the lounge and laid him out along the length of it. Merl stayed right beside him and tried to hold him still so he would not injure himself. It took several minutes, but the man finally began to recover from whatever had overcome him. He opened his eyes and saw Anakin and Merl staring down at him. They helped him to sit up and he just sat in the booth for another minute trying to control his breathing. He finally pushed the hood that covered his head back and Anakin could see a rather handsome, though gruesomely filthy man who appeared to be about the same age as Merl. He had dark sandy hair with a single gray streak leading back from his forehead, and a neatly trimmed beard which was currently caked with earth.

Anakin looked him in the eyes and was momentarily transfixed. The man named Obi Wan was staring right back at him, almost as if he knew who Anakin was. Anakin broke his gaze away and looked down, and then over at Merl, who was obviously concerned.

"Obi Wan, It's me. Merl! Can you tell us what happened?" He sat and put a hand on the man's shoulder.

"I don't…" Obi Wan Stuttered. "The storm." His head rolled forward, he was obviously exhausted. "Merl? Is that you? I'm sorry if I disturbed you, old friend. I don't know just what came over me. It felt as if I was hit by an avalanche, and my heart just stopped. I don't remember what I was doing, or where I was going."

"Well, you seem a little better now, my friend. Here, have a little sip of this." Merl handed him the small jug and Obi Wan took a swallow.

His eyes bulged and he almost spit it out but managed to swallow and save his pride. "Ah, blood fizz," he wretched. "Thank you Merl, that certainly hit the spot." Merl laughed and slapped Obi Wan on the back while he was still sputtering. "I think I'm awake now." He looked again at Anakin, studying him with great interest. After a while he seemed to make a decision and extended his hand. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure, young man… I am Obi Wan Kenobi."

Anakin was wary but didn't want to be impolite. "Anakin Lars. It's nice to meek you" he said briefly, nodding his head and shaking Obi Wan's hand.

"Odd that fate would bring us together like this," Obi Wan glanced around at nothing in particular. "In the middle of this storm I mean."

"Yeah," Anakin looked around too, not having any idea what Obi Wan was talking about. "Pretty weird." He stood up again seeing the waning light through a cracked and dirty window just above the booth where they were all sitting. "Sorry to have to run off, but it is getting very late, and dad's going to kill me." He grabbed his satchel, goggles and mask, then headed for the door. "Thanks again for the stew, Merl." Then he looked back at Obi Wan still sitting in the booth, and a strong sense of déjà vu came over him. Something just didn't feel right. He suddenly wanted to ask this Obis Wan Kenobi a million questions, but instead he turned and walked out the door.

As Anakin climbed back into the speeder and started to drive back towards the western desert and home, Merl and Obi Wan stood just inside the door, watching as he disappeared into the darkness of Swirling sands and wind. "Do you need to head out as well, Obi Wan? Or would you like to rest up here for the night?"

"Yes Merl, if it's alright with you I think I'll stay here for a while." He continued to follow Anakin's progress although he could no longer see the boy and his speeded. "I feel there's a storm coming."

"Coming?" Merl Laughed and started walking back into the lounge, "Been blowing up all day, Obi Wan! Hadn't you noticed?


	6. Tatooine

6.

Jan started coming around just before the small shuttle came out of hyperspace. He could feel the unnatural lurch forward as the vessel broke into normal space, then began to shudder under the stress of deceleration and gravity. He saw Breha sitting with her back against the fuselage, looking towards the front of the ship. He reached and grabbed her hand. "What's going on?"

Her head snapped around and her eyes widened. "Jan! Oh, thank goodness you're ok, but I think you would have been better off if you had stayed asleep just a little longer…" The ship jerked and then felt as if it were just sliding sideways. "I think we're in for a bumpy ride!"

The R2 unit squealed maniacally while twisting the small metal data interface disc faster and faster. The ship was plummeting into the atmosphere of a large planet, though they could not see much through the small porthole in the bulkhead. The speed of the shuttle was too great and caused a heated glow of friction with the ever increasing air pressure. Jan tried to sit up, but the pain in his ribs and the shaking of the cabin was too much for him. So he lay where he was, closed his eyes and held tighter onto the hand of the princess.

Shortly thereafter the ship began to level off and the reentry trajectory smoothed out, but now the ship began to be buffeted by what Jan recognized as extremely powerful wind gusts. "Is he controlling the ship?" He asked Breha, pointing to the R2 unit in front of them.

"I'm afraid so! We lost the cockpit in the explosion!" She was trying to keep the loose canisters from rolling and bumping into them.

"Turn into the wind!" He tried directing the droid. "Keep the nose up, and put us down!"

R2 whistled impatiently back at the lieutenant but seemed to take the direction and soon the landing thrusters were firing against the wind. When they finally set down with an unsettling crunch on the surface of the planet, Jan realized that the landing struts had not deployed. He wasn't quite sure if they had malfunctioned, or if the droid had simply forgotten about them. Well, they were down at least and could breathe easy for a minute, however they would soon need a plan of action as to what to do next. The could hear the wind howling outside, and loose debris lashing against the side of the fuselage.

"Highness," Jan grimaced as he tried once more to sit himself up against the pain. "Did we lose the whole cockpit?"

"It would seem so," she tried to help him up to lean against the side of the cabin. "The cockpit, and our rescuer with it." She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at him once he was sitting more comfortably. "Jan, you can stop calling me 'highness' and 'princess' now. We can concern ourselves with formalities once we get back to civilization."

He looked a touch embarrassed. "Well, we'll have to look around back here to see if there are any communication panels we can try. We should get a distress signal out if we can. Do you have any idea where we might be?"

"I think our little friend here might know, but I'm afraid I can't understand him," she leaned closer to the R2 unit and brushed some of the cabin dust from his barrel shaped chassis.

"There's never a protocol droid around when you really need one. but perhaps he can show us where we are." He pointed to a small screen that was partially covered by a leaning shelf that had been bolted to the floor on the opposite wall, obviously meant for storage the screen behind it had been covered before all of the items in front of it had fallen off of the shelved and subsequently thrown around the cabin.

Breha tapped the little droid on the dome to get his attention. "R2, can you show us where we are?" She pointed to the screen. His optical sensor followed the path of her finger and stopped on the small dark display.

The droid tipped back so that his front steerage leg could help guide him, and he rolled the short distance across the cabin to the screens panel and plugged into it. In seconds the screen came to life with a rapid succession of data menus, and then star charts. Eventually the picture zoomed in and stopped on one specific system chart, showing twin suns, and several circumbinary planets. Coordinates and ranges were displayed to the side of the graphic representation, but Jan thought he recognized the system just by the layout.

"Tatooine, I think," he said aloud, not sure if he should consider that good or bad news. "Hopefully we've landed near a settlement."

…

Anakin first saw the ship coming in too fast from west when he was only a few minutes out from the station, then followed as it turned north to land against the wind. It looked as if it had taken heavy damage and hoped that the pilot would be able to make a safe landing. At least it was headed in a relatively flat direction, and wouldn't run up against any rocky escarpments for nearly 30 miles. He caught up to it sooner than he thought, and was glad to see that they had made a relatively successful landing, albeit on the belly of the craft.

He saw no movement and the ship looked dead as he approached. Now he could see the full extent of the damage it had taken, and was shocked that it had been able to land at all. "Gas leak must have ignited and took off the whole cockpit!" he said to himself under his breath. He figured that the pilot must have just taken off from Mos Eisley when the explosion ripped the ship apart, but he had managed to get out of the cockpit just in time and steer it back down from a back piloting station. Since the ship was laying on the boarding ramp, he went to where the cockpit had been and tried to look in through a small porthole that was in the center of the front cabin bulkhead. The window was caked with dust and sand, but he thought that he could see some light and movement coming from inside. He took the sleeve of his cloak and rubbed it against the window to try to see in better.

There were two people that he could see in the cabin, and it looked as if they were digging through a ration pack. He knocked on the window, and they both turned their heads in surprise. They seemed frightened when they saw him peering through the window, and he suddenly realized that he had his hood up, and both his mask and goggles on. He tore them off, figuring he could survive the elements for a minute, and showed his face through the porthole again. This time the two people inside looked at each other and then nodded and waved to him briefly, then it appeared as if they were talking to a third person that must have been closer to the bulkhead, and just out of Anakin's view. He heard the plate metal creak and then give way, sliding open in small, broken bursts.

Since the craft was facing north, the sand and wind blew in as Anakin stepped onto into the cabin and looked around.

"Close the door R2!" yelled a young woman in a full length gown. Anakin had never in his life seen anyone like her. She couldn't have been much older than he was, but she was obviously not from Tatooine. She had the exotic look of an off worlder, the kind of people that he always figured knew way more about the galaxy than he did; yet at the same time she seemed vulnerable, helpless. He realized that was probably because of the way he had found her here in a derelict spaceship, but still, he wondered… where did she come from?

The bulkhead slammed shut again behind him and the sound of the wind muffled to a quiet moan against the outside of the craft. Anakin turned and finally notice the small droid next to the door, operating the control panel, then he took a closer look at the man in uniform that was straining to keep himself propped up against the wall. "Are you the pilot?"

"No son, I'm Lieutenant Dodanna, just a passenger. We both are in fact. He's the only pilot we've got left at present." He pointed to the droid that was trying to look back and forth between parties. "We were on route from Alderaan when we took damage."

"Damage? I'll say! You lost your entire cockpit in case you didn't know, good thing this little guy was able to get you down safely!"

"Our best guess is that we're on Tatooine," the young woman said. "Oh, I apologize. I'm Breha." She looked over at the droid, and gave him a small pat. "This is R2." She looked down at the ration pack that she held in her hand and then back up at Anakin. "I hate to be a bother, but you wouldn't have anything better to eat, would you?"

He felt under his cloak and found that he did have his satchel there. Pulling it out he offered it to them, "I do actually. It's all yours if you want it. I packed it this morning but I ended up having dinner with a friend instead. You're right about this being Tatooine, were you not intending to stop here?"

"We honestly aren't sure where we were heading, here or elsewhere. Our pilot was lost soon after we escaped Alderaan." Breha started digging through the satchel and gave the Lieutenant a choice of the small fruits and vegetables she found within.

"Escaped?" Anakin shouted. "You mean this was from a blaster cannon?" He turned around and looked back through the window to the missing cockpit. "Who was chasing you?"

"It's a long story I'm afraid" groaned the lieutenant, "but I'd rather get to a more substantial shelter, is there anything nearby?"

"Anchorhead's not far from here, we can get there in my speeder, but it's going to be tough going in the storm. I can fit the two of you, but I'm not sure that your droid here will fit."

'Anything is better than staying here all night," Breha got up slowly and looked outside and the blowing sand. "Well, maybe".

Breha and Anakin both helped Lieutenant Dodanna to the speeder and R2 closed the door again behind them. Anakin let Breha have the dust mask and gave his goggles to Jan.

"How will you be able to see your way?" Dodanna asked as they started moving.

"I've gone this way a million times," Anakin yelled over the sound of the gale. "I can feel my way back!"


	7. Bail

7.

Bail was being detained in a holding cell that was essentially a cramped, unused office sealed in with a portable force field generator. The furniture had been removed so that he could not use any of it to try to escape, hurt himself, or more importantly, be comfortable. Consequently, he sat on the floor. Night had come and he could begin to hear a distant cacophony of nocturnal creatures through a window that had been left slightly open. He wondered if he should try to get some sleep. It seemed doubtful that anything else would happen immediately, and if he didn't keep himself rested and alert, he might end up cracking under the pressure of extended solitary confinement.

He did some pushups and a variety of balance and stretching exercises that he had learned in his academy days. The instructor had loosely implied that he had learned the forms and techniques from and old Jedi master that he had met in his youth, but Bail was skeptical at best that the story had any veracity. The lore and legend of the great warrior religion did not strike him as something very serious; however, once he had become a senator, he had become privy to more tangible materials that documented some of the Jedi's involvement throughout the history of the republic. Many of the tales seemed fantastical; epic battles in which a lone brave knight would fend off entire armies. But it seemed that the Jedi had also dabbled in politics for a time, even holding a council of their own and advising the senate on matters of state.

After the exercise he spent a short time in meditation and then tried to lie down to sleep on the hard stone office floor. He took off his shirt and bundled it into a small pillow to give himself something to rest his head on. The overhead light had been left on and he had no way to reach the control, so he shut his eyes, hoping he could forget where he was.

But his thoughts would not settle as he kept wondering about Breha. He had only caught pieces of side conversations while he was being processed and summarily incarcerated, but the news seemed grim. Only a few ships had even managed to lift off from the surface, and it would seem from all reports that every single one had been destroyed in an attempt to escape. Of course it was possible that the reports were exaggerated, and it was also possible that Jan and Breha weren't even able to find an available ship, and were still hiding on the surface somewhere. He hoped that whatever the explanation was, that it was not the one that he feared most.

He was saddened by the thought that he had not been with her much in the past few days, too busy with work and meetings. They had planned to go to the mountains soon, and spend time together at Breha's family retreat. He so looked forward to being alone with her, but it was already so hard to find the time to do so.

Bail kept going round and round in his mind with these thoughts, trying not to give in to despair, but convincing himself more and more that Breha must be alright. He told himself this again and again, and somewhere deep in the night, he must have finally fallen asleep.

…

He woke to the office door opening with a groan, the sound of old metal hinges carrying the weight of a solid wooden door. Four of the fully uniformed Federation soldiers came in with blaster rifles slung over their shoulders, and took positions with two on each side of the door, halfway between the wall and the shimmering force field. Once the soldiers were in place, the Viceroy entered, looking beleaguered.

Bail sat up slowly and didn't show any sign of apprehension. He looked toward the window and saw that the sky was brightening and the sun would soon be up. Rubbing his fingers through his hair he crossed his legs, remaining seated so as not to show any deference to the syndicate leader.

"Mmmm, I apologize that your accommodations are not more comfortable, Senator," the Viceroy hissed with a distasteful sneer. "Perhaps I can have the guards provide you with a cushion and blanket."

Bail looked down at his shirt, which still lay crumpled on the floor. "Don't go to any trouble on my account, Gunray."

"Yessss, well, I imagine you're wondering why I am here?" The Tall trade leader began to smile slightly, as if amused by his own joke. Bail did not reply, not wanting to give the slithering serpent the satisfaction. Gunray puckered his mouth, widened his eyes and continued. "I'm afraid I have some unfortunate news that I thought you had better hear as soon as possible, mmm? It seems that a few hours ago, the chancellor tried to escape using a small energy detonator he had hidden on his person while being detained. He managed to free himself from his makeshift cell," the Viceroy nodded in the direction of Bail's cell generator indicating that the arrangement for the chancellor must have been similar. "However, the guards that were on duty were just a touch overzealous, and I'm afraid they killed the chancellor as he attempted his escape."

Bail felt the pit of his stomach drop, but still managed to laugh out loud at the Viceroy. "Gunray, if you are stupid enough to think that anyone would believe that load of garbage you just spewed, you are gravely mistaken!"

"I believe it is you that are mistaken, good Senator; very mistaken indeed." Gunray began to pace again as he had when he first confronted Bail and the chancellor in his main office. "You are resisting signing he articles of surrender, but you will resist no longer, otherwise you may well find yourself involved in a very unfortunate accident of your own. Either way the surrender will be validated. If not by you, then perhaps by a member of the royal family."

Bail didn't like where the Viceroy was headed with this line of reasoning. "Gunray," he clenched his teeth, "you are the lowest form of life that has ever…"

"The princess is here somewhere, senator. Mmmm? That is good news at least, I'm sure." The Viceroy stared at him and Bail remained tense, a bundle of strain and emotion. "We analyzed the wreckage of the ships that had attempted leaving the system, and it seems that her highness was not on any of them."

Bail was sure now that Gunray knew of his personal connection to Breha, and was just toying with him. He was relieved by the possibility that Breha still lived, but his fists clenched in absolute anger at the disgusting Viceroy. "I'm sure that wherever she is hiding, she will be found shortly. I'm quite certain that with the correct, mmmm, motivation, that she would be more than willing to do anything that we desire."

He burst from the floor and threw himself at the smirking leader, prepared to rip the man's head clean from his shoulders. But he hit the field that surrounded him and felt a jolt of white hot pain. He bounced backwards and found himself once more laying on the floor next to his shirt. His vision was blurred but he could see Gunray turning for the door and pointing back in the direction of where Bail was laying stunned. "Gentlemen, please see that the senator is reminded of our sincerity in these matters." The force field dropped with a buzz and the four soldiers came forward, each taking turns kicking him and beating him with the butts of their rifles.

With each violent strike he found himself drifting in and out of consciousness, yet he focused on one single idea. "She's alive!" he thought to himself. "Breha, you're alive!"

…

In the grand offices of Sheeve Palpatine on the planet Coruscant, political capital of the Galactic Republic, the senator was having his morning cup of tea and planning for a meeting with the central banking guild commissioner when a page knocked on the door and poked his head in, trying to get the old man's attention. Palpatine had a twirling wisp of white hair, and age lines around his eyes. Behind him was an enormous panoramic window looking out on a vast, planet wide cityscape.

"Excuse me, sir? I don't mean to disturb you so early in the morning, but…"

"oh, what is it now?" the Senator grumbled, throwing his notes down onto his extravagant desk. "I do not have time for trivial matters this morning, Boy!"

"Yes, I apologize," the page continued, "but we did not receive our regular morning report transmission from Alderaan this… this morning… sir. Sorry, but I though you would want to know."

The Senator let out a long, frustrated sigh, "Does nothing get done when I am not there? I need up to date figures for the commissioner in less than an hour! Use my access code to send a priority one request and get the damn report!"

"Yes… Yes Sir!" The page turned and ran out of the room.

"And don't bother me again until you have it ready for me!" Palpatine yelled after him.

Once the door closed completely, the senator turned his seat so that he could look out over the bustling ship traffic not far from his window. He took a long sip from his cup, closed his eyes slightly, and the hint of a smile appeared on his face.


	8. Ben

8.

The wind blew colder from the north now that the twin suns had set, and it was completely dark by the time that Anakin and his party made their way back to the station. He parked the speeder right in front of the warehouse doors, then he and Breha helped Jan, who was very sore from the trip, to climb out. Once inside they found Merl and Obi Wan still sitting and chatting in the lounge area, when the two men saw the trio of weary travelers, they quickly came over and offered assistance. Anakin was coughing and spitting, trying to get the sand out of his mouth and nose, thinking how he should have packed extra masks in case of emergency.

"Twice in one day!" Merl bellowed, seemly quite pleased with all of the excitement. "This storm is really causing mayhem, eh?"

"Their ship crashed not far from here," Anakin explained. "They were lucky that I saw them fly over, they had come all the way from Alderaan without a cockpit!"

Breha was so busy concerning herself with Jan that she had not taken a good look at the two men from the station yet, but when she started to thank them and looked Obi Wan in the eyes, she gasped with disbelief and found herself at a loss for words. "But, what? how did you…?"

Obi Wan smiled and tilted his head. "How did I what?"

"Get here?" Breha squinted at him, examining his face. "Or maybe… I guess you're not him, but you look exactly like…"

"Like who?" Obi Wan asked slowly, anxiously.

"There was a strange man," She explained. "On Alderaan. He had a ship. He helped us escape, we almost made…" She stopped short, seeing the smile fade from Obi Wan's lips. "Anyway, you look just like him." She said, turning away.

Obi Wan paced the length of the bar and back again, "What happened?" he asked at last.

"He saved us," Jan said as he sat, followed by a groan of discomfort. "Somehow, he knew we needed help, and he saved us. Unfortunately, we were hit just as we made the jump to hyperspace. He was a hell of a pilot, that was obvious. But he didn't make it."

Merl looked at his friend, feeling the connection. "Did you know this man, Obi Wan?"

"Yes, I knew him. He was my brother." Obi Wan leaned against one of the stools at the bar and put his hand over his eyes. "My twin brother, as a matter of fact. I knew something was wrong."

"It was the Trade Federation," Brahe added, trying to give some dimension to the horrific news. "They've attacked Alderaan." She looked at Obi Wan again, but their collective sorrow was too much for her to bear, so she turned her gaze to Jan. "Lieutenant Dodanna and I wanted to try to get word to the Republic Senate. Viceroy Gunray has taken the Chancellor hostage, he was visiting Alderaan on his official tour of the republic. Your brother… I asked him to take us to Coruscant, but I think that he set course for here instead, said he knew someone that could help us…"

"Huh, yes," Obi Wan nodded his head in understanding now. "He was taking you to find me."

"To find you?" Breha tried to comprehend. "Obi Wan, can you help us?"

"Well," he hesitated, rubbing his cheeks.

"I don't get it," Anakin chimed in. "What can one man from Tatooine do against an invasion by the Trade Federation?"

"Obi Wan," Merl said softly from behind Jan and Breha. "Maybe it's time to let them in on it. Sounds like it's going to come out eventually anyway."

"Yes, thank you Merl, I suppose you're right." Obi Wan said grudgingly, but still hesitating further. "you see… we... that is to say, my brother and I, we are…"

"Jedi!" Merl boomed. "Gees, Obi Wan, spit it out man!"

The group looked at Obi Wan, staring in disbelief, but wanting to hear more. As Obi Wan looked at Breha, he saw an entire world of hope pressing on her shoulders. He could feel the distant pain of a million voices, not sure what it meant, or where it came from. But, like his brother, he knew that he was being drawn in. The Force; it bound to him, it surrounded him. He could feel all life, all energy. So much alike, he and his brother. The connection between them was unbreakable, and the force was that connection. They were able to feel it from a very young age, and were extraordinarily sensitive to it. To them, it was stronger than the gravity between the twin suns of Tatooine, stronger than the greatest power or weapon than could ever be conceived. He put his hand on the hip of his cloak, feeling the Jedi weapon that was hidden deep within its folds. Although he had trained extensively with it, and was a powerful, mighty warrior in theory, he had never used it in combat.

"Ben," Obi Wan whispered suddenly, tears falling from his cheeks. "his name was Ben." He looked back and forth between Breha and Jan. "He was an extraordinary man, and quite clever. If he felt that I could help you, I'm afraid then that I'll be forced to agree with him."

"but what can we do from here?" Breha asked. "We'll have to get to Coruscant."

"Princess…" Jan interrupted, "I'm not sure that…"

"Princess?" Anakin and Merl both gasped simultaneously… they looked at each other, then back to Breha, incredulous.

"First a Jedi, now a princess?" Anakin shook his head in disbelief. "Am I dreaming? Where the heck am I? stuff like this doesn't happen in Anchorhead!"

"Well, my boy," smirked Merl, "today I guess you are located right at the bright center of the universe!"

"I believe what the good lieutenant was about to say is correct," Obi Wan interjected. "We should not all go to Coruscant." Jan looked at the Jedi, not sure how the man had known what he was thinking. "I believe that he and I should return to Alderaan to see of what assistance we can be there. However, your highness, you should continue on to Coruscant, and let the galaxy know of your planet's suffering."

"And I should get home!" moaned Anakin. "Man, am I in for it!"

"Actually," Obi Wan looked at the farm boy and moved towards him, looking at him eye to eye, "The Princess is going to need an escort, and I think that you would fit the bill nicely."

For the third time during the conversation, Anakin's jaw dropped. He shook his head, a little at first, but then more vigorously. "No… No, no, no. I can't go anywhere. Are you crazy or something? I think the whole galaxy has gone crazy! I'm just a…"

"Just what?" He heard Breha say softly from behind him. The sound of her voice turned him around. He looked at her and found himself trapped by her eyes. "Just the one that found us, and brought us here? Helped us to find the man we were looking for, even though we didn't know it? And now, what? You're just going to go home and pretend this never happened? Fine… go!"

Anakin could not tear himself away. He started to back up, towards the table where he had dumped his gear, and then stopped. As much as he wanted to, he could not let go, he could not leave. That single look from the princess of Alderaan had change the course of his entire life, and he knew that he would never let go. He stepped forward again and kneeled down in front of her. He didn't know what to say, but she smiled at him anyway.

Finally, the only thing he could manage to squeak out was, "Dad's sure not going to like this…"


	9. Owen

9.

When Owen woke up early the following morning, he was worried not to see his big brother in the room with him. Rubbing his eyes, he got up and walked down towards the galley. He stopped outside of the entryway, where he could hear his parents taking. His mother seemed overwrought and his father was having difficulty trying to keep her calm.

"Why didn't you tell me last night that he didn't come home?" His mom kept asking over and over again.

"Shmi, there's nothing to worry about," Cliegg said coolly. "I'm sure that he decided to stay at the station last night because of the storm, it got dark pretty early from all of the blowing sand. He's a smart kid, and has a good head on his shoulders, he's fine!" Owen wondered why it sounded like his father was loading a pack to go look for Anakin if he was so sure that Anakin was ok.

"Cliegg Lars!" Shmi shouted. "You don't have the same tie to him as I do. I'm his mother and he is my baby, even if he's almost a man!"

"How can you say that?" Cliegg whispered to her crossly. "He may not be mine, but I was there when he was born. I raised him, I cared for him, and I loved him. Just as much as Owen!"

Owen felt his skin go cold and he started backing away from the galley entryway. What on earth were they talking about? Anakin wasn't Cliegg's son? How could that be possible? And where was he right now, was his father right? Was Anakin just at the station, or did something horrible happen last night in the storm? He couldn't wait for his dad to go looking for him in the old, slow X-12 transport they kept around to haul parts from condenser to condenser.

Owen ran up to the garage, leaped on his one seated speeder, and fired up the engine. He was pleased to hear it actually start, as he had been messing with the wiring on it a lot lately. Luckily, it seemed to be running and throttling normally. He grabbed his helmet with a full visor from the back of the machine and hoped it would be enough to protect him from the continuing sandstorm. As he toed the speeder out of the bay door and increased thrust, his father ran into the garage behind him, yelling his name. Owen could not hear anything over the loud whine of the uncovered thrusters, and continued to accelerate away.

Cliegg was quickly outpaced and left behind just outside of the bay with wind and sand buffeting his clothes and skin. He had his pack ready, and grabbed a set of goggles and an old mask from the workbench on the back wall of the garage. He ran to the hauler and climbed in, hoping he could get some speed out of the junk heap.

Owen cleared the homestead area and continued to accelerate. He wasn't sure how fast he could get his little speeder to go, but today he was willing to push it to the limit. He needed to find his brother, or was he just half-brother? Did it matter? He loved Anakin more than anything in the world, he looked up to him, and wanted to be just like him. Was that possible, or were they just too different? It did always seem like Anakin was on a completely different level than Owen, and that his brother just had more innate skill or ability than just about anyone else that Owen knew, young or old. Owen felt like he was mostly just a screw up, and his father just thought he was lazy. Maybe Cliegg didn't just love Anakin as much as Owen, maybe he just flat out loved Anakin more.

Owen squeezed small tears from the corners of his eyes, and they evaporated quickly as he sped faster and faster across the wastelands towards Anchorhead. The wind was still blowing a gale, but at least the amount of dust and sand blowing up had lessened somewhat, and Owen could see a good distance ahead of him.

…

Jan and Obi-Wan left the station at first light and walked the short distance into the heart of Anchorhead. They had said their goodbyes to Anakin and Breha, who were planning to make their way back to the crashed ship to retrieve R2 and then secure passage to Coruscant. Jan followed Obi Wan to a rundown hanger and watched as the Jedi put his hand over a very substantial locking mechanism. Several loud clicks emanated from within the door, and then it began to open as if by magic.

As the door lifted, Jan could see the broad shadows of a ship inside the hanger. When the light struck it Jan beheld a magnificent vessel. It was long and thin, with smooth contours and massive thrusters around the stern. Mostly black and gray in color, Jan was unfamiliar with the design, but impressed nonetheless.

"Where in the galaxy did you find this beauty!" The lieutenant ran his index finger along the polished surface of the fuselage.

"Actually, it was a gift from my old master," Kenobi specified as he walked around the ship giving it a quick inspection. "I don't have any idea where he got it from, or when. Knowing him the thing could be over eight hundred years old."

Jan followed as Obi Wan walked around the back of the thrusters. "Was he the one that taught you how to be a… a Jedi Warrior?"

"Yes, you could say that," Obi Wan smiled as he reminisced fondly. "He instructed both Ben and I when we were younger. There is no doubt in my mind that he is the greatest of all the Jedi Masters." He finished looking over the vessel and opened a boarding ramp. The seams were so smooth that Jan didn't even notice the outline of the ramp until it started to open. "When his fire is extinguished from this galaxy, it will be a sad day indeed."

The young lieutenant was intrigued, "So your master still lives then?"

The Jedi had stated to board the ship, but then paused, rubbed his chin and closed his eyes. "I believe so… yes, he is out there." When Obi Wan opened his eyes again, he saw Jan looking at him inquisitively. "I know what you're thinking, Lieutenant. I'm sorry, but I don't know where he is." He finally ducked into the ship and Jan followed him up the ramp. Obi Wan was already turning on power systems, igniting the engines, and preparing for launch when he finally added, "Master Yoda is a bit of a recluse and likes to be left alone."

…

He was lucky to have spotted it, and swung north to get a closer look. The rising suns had reflected off of the white surface, and Owen didn't realize what it was until he approached it. Half buried with sand he wondered how long the ship had been sitting there, but figured it couldn't have been long, or else he would have already known about it. Since his approach had been from the south he couldn't see the other speeder until he had gotten off of his and started to walk around the crash site. But as soon as he saw it, he yelled out in surprise, distress, and excitement.

"Anakin?" He ran towards the speeder and looked around. It must have only been here a few minutes because it was relatively clean. Maybe his brother had also spotted the wreck on his way back from Anchorhead, and decided to have a look too. "Anakin!" He yelled again, his voice quickly lost in the desert

The wind was still gusting at a fast clip, but it looked like here might be footprints leading to the wrecked ship. Owen followed to what looked like the only possible way to gain entrance, a closed bulkhead door where it appeared that part of the ship had been torn away. He clenched his fist tightly and banged on the thick metal. "Anakin?" he continued beating. "Anakin, are you in there?"

He stopped pounding when he heard a terrible shriek of scraping metal and took a step back, then he finally heard his brother's voice calling back to him. "Owen! Come inside and get out of the wind!"

Owen slid through the opening and then heard the door closing again behind him. It was dark in the cabin, but after his eyes adjusted, he could see Anakin standing just a few feet away, and a young woman was standing behind him. She was dressed very plainly, like a typical resident of Anchorhead, but her face was fair, and she had no burned or calloused skin that he could see.

"What the heck are you doing here?" His brother demanded, as if scolding him.

Owen was taken aback, still unsure of just what he had interrupted. "What am I doing here?" he spread his hands and looked around, indication the strange place in which he had found his brother with an unusual lady. "Anakin, where were you all night? You weren't out here in this wreck the whole time were you?"

"No!" Anakin appeared flustered and impatient. "We were at the station last night, riding out the storm. We had to come back out here this morning to fetch Breha's droid." Anakin pointed back past Owen to the door where he had entered the ship's cabin. There was a small droid sitting right beside the bulkhead, plugged into an access panel. "He's been trying to get some power to the lights, but it seems like all of the reserves are drained."

Owen started to piece things together. "This is your ship then?" he addressed the woman in the shadows.

"I'm afraid so," she replied softly, "well, at least I was a passenger on it when it crashed here."

She stepped towards him and Owen could see her better. "Well, I came looking for you…" he stuttered and she looked at him curiously. "I mean; I came looking for my brother."

"Oh!" She exclaimed when the lights flickered for a brief moment. "You two are brothers? I can see the resemblance! And it seems you're both always out combing the desert looking for someone in need of rescue…"

The comment about resemblance stung Owen, now that he had learned the truth about Anakin and himself. He wasn't sure how he could tell his brother the shocking news, so decided it was probably best to keep quiet. He had to assume that Cliegg didn't want Anakin to know the reality of his parentage, but the secret was difficult for Owen to keep locked away.

"Yeah, I bet dad's hopping mad about me not coming home, huh?" Anakin interrupted Owen's train of thought. "By the time we got everyone safely back to the station, it was night time." He dug through some of the debris and threw a few things into his satchel while the lights continued to flicker. "Anyway, I promised Breha that I would help her to get passage to Coruscant, she has no way to get to a spaceport and I don't want her to get stuck with some lowlife taxi from town."

"But dad's out looking for you right now!" Owen pleaded, not wanting to have to explain to his father that Anakin had slipped through his fingers. "At least wait so you can talk to him!"

"No time little brother," scorned Anakin hurriedly. "We have to be on our way… We're trying to stop a full scale war!" He closed his satchel and motioned for Breha to follow, "R2, open the door!" The little droid whistled and complied with Anakin's demand.

Everyone moved back out of the ship and Anakin was able to get the little droid strapped onto the speeder. The suns were getting higher and the sand was starting to pick up again. Owen put his sleeve over his eyes to protect them. "Please, Anakin!" He yelled over the howling gale, "let's wait for dad and then we can all bring her to Mos Eisley together!"

But Anakin wouldn't listen and just continued loading the speeder. Owen watched as Breha went up to his brother and said something to him, but he couldn't make out what she was saying over the gusting wind. Anakin shook his head and then got into the speeder and Breha followed him. The engines whined and then roared, and his bother sped away to the northeast with a woman he had just met and a droid. All Owen could do was stand and watch, but he had to put his helmet back on just to do that. It suddenly seemed that he had lost a brother in more ways than one today. He didn't want to go home so he sat and watched the empty desert where Anakin had disappeared over the horizon.


	10. Jan

10.

Lieutenant Dodanna was once again trusting his life to the skills of a Jedi, although this time he was specifically aware of that particular piece of the equation. The craft that Obi Wan possessed was as beautiful and unique on the inside as it had been on the outside. The controls were set up specifically for a single pilot, and Jan didn't see any evidence of weapons systems, or even shields. However, there was one particular panel that did not make any sense to him. The controls were of the type you might expect to see for a large hologram projector, but he did not see a projector in the cabin, and didn't understand why it would have to be so large, and draw so much power.

They jumped to hyperspace as soon as they left the orbital space surrounding Tatooine, and Obi Wan calculated that they would reach Alderaan in only 10 parsecs. This seemed impossible to Jan, but he had been so overwhelmed with the impossible in the last two days that he decided not to question anymore. He sat in what appeared to be a passenger seat and groaned. His injuries were still bothering him, but it did seem that there was no permanent damage done.

Obi Wan came out of the cockpit and sat quietly across from The Lieutenant. He wanted to learn more about Obi Wan, and his departed brother Ben. But Obi Wan had been reticent up to this point to share much information. Jan wondered if this was a family trait, or if the secrecy was a characteristic of the Jedi. In order to break the monotony and uncomfortable silence which threatened to hang over them for the duration of the trip, Jan decided to share some of his own thoughts with Obi Wan.

"My family has served the crown of Alderaan for twelve generations," He began, looking down at his hands, which were clenched into fists. "I didn't want to leave when the invasion began. I would have preferred to stand strong with the rest of my people, but Senator Organa asked me to evacuate the princess. I'm happy that she is safe, but I worry for the safety of her parents, as well as the senator and the chancellor."

"You are right to be worried," Obi Wan frowned. "There is a shadow cast over the system of Alderaan, and it is spreading quickly. Where once there was light, now there is only darkness. We must act quickly to find the source of it, and extinguish it with the fire of the force."

Jan had trouble finding any reassurance in the Jedi's words. He seemed less of a warrior and more of a religious zealot. "I can tell you the source!" he cried, frustrated. "It's Viceroy Gunray! He's gone quite mad you know. But how do we find him? How will we even get to the planet without drawing the wrath of the orbiting syndicate ships? They've already almost blasted me into dust once…" He stopped short, realizing what he had just said to the man.

"Yes, Lieutenant," Obi Wan said calmly. "I'm quite aware of your past troubles. And as for getting through the blockade…" he stood up and headed back into the cockpit, "You can leave that to me."

Jan felt like a fool, allowing his emotions to get the best of him. If they were going to do any good down there on the planet, he would have to get ahold of himself. He would also have to put a great amount of trust in Obi Wan. He seemed like a simple man from a simple planet, but Jan would have to believe that he was very much more.

…

A warning sensor chirped as they approached Alderaan. Jan had become so wrapped up in his thoughts that he jerked when he heard it go off. Obi Wan disengaged the hyperspace drive and the ship fell smoothly back into normal space. The great green and blue sphere of home came into view on their port side, and slightly above them. He had been gone for less than two days, but he wondered what her would find there, and hoped that the Federation had not already destroyed everything that he had spent his life building.

Thinking of the Federation reminded him that there were dozens of ships that they now had to concern themselves with. He opened his mouth about to yell into the cockpit to warn Obi Wan, but then thought better of it. The Jedi had said to leave it to him, so that is what Jan would have to do.

The planet loomed closer and closer and Jan became more and more nervous that they would be attacked at any moment. But in the cockpit he could see that Obi Wan had engaged the strange projection device and turned it to full power. He could not understand the function of it until they practically flew right over an orbiting syndicate ship. The large ship just sat there, totally uninterested in their presence. He kept watching and waiting for a reaction, but it seemed like…

"They can't see us, can they?" he finally said, and turned to look into the cockpit.

Obi Wan didn't turn back to look at him, but continued to concentrate on their flight path. "Things are not always what they appear to be, Lieutenant," he said as he brought them into a vector to enter the atmosphere.

"But, a cloaking device can only hide a ship from sensors. Why didn't anyone… see us?" He looked back at the syndicate ship now falling far behind him.

"Perhaps they just decided that we weren't that interesting," Obi Wan said. "Now, prepare for landing."

They circled over an area of forest outside of the capitol complex and set down in an opening that was meant for recreation. However, when they walked down the ramp into the open, it appeared that the entire area was vacant. They were not far from the lake, and the breeze coming in off of the water was refreshing. Jan was happy to be home, happy to be where he could defend his people and his culture.

"We'll have to make our way to the capitol and find a way to infiltrate the office buildings. I'm sure that any prisoners are being held there." He looked at the long shadows and low position of the sun and realized it would be nightfall soon. "Perhaps we should wait until we can approach under cover of darkness."

"That's a good idea, Jan," Obi Wan said. It was the first time that he had called him by his first name. Jan smiled at him and laughed. Suddenly the idea of the two of them taking on the Federation together seemed far too amusing, and he couldn't help himself. Obi Wan smiled and then joined in the laughter. Soon the empty forest around them seemed to echo with it.

When the moment passed, Obi Wan walked back up the ramp to the ship and closed everything down, finally coming back out and closing the ramp back into the smooth side of the craft. It eerily disappeared into the curved contours so that you would not even know where it was. Jan was still smiling and enjoying the cool evening breeze when Obi Wan walked up beside him.

"Here Lieutenant, I think you may want to have this tonight." Obis Wan reached out his hand and gave Jan a blaster pistol and a holster.

Jan secured the holster to his belt and then slipped the blaster into it. His smile faded as he turned and looked at the distant capitol buildings. "We'll be lucky to get anywhere near that building."

Obi Wan slapped him on the back and started walking to the edge of the clearing. "In my experience, there's no such thing as luck…"


	11. Embark

11.

Breha felt unhappy about how Anakin had left his brother. She hadn't realized at first that Anakin was so young. He was tall and mature looking, and had seemed quite independent and determined when he had first found them in their crashed ship in the middle of a stormy desert. But it seemed silly that she could come between a family that she had just met that day. Right before they had left the crash site, she had told Anakin that it would be ok if they waited until they could speak to Anakin's father. But Anakin had already made up his mind and said that they should get to a spaceport as soon as possible, before the transports that were leaving for the day were already filled.

She also felt now that she didn't really need an escort; she would be able to get passage to Coruscant on her own. Before thy had left to retrieve R2 back at the crash site, the nice station owner had given her an outfit of very plain looking travelling clothes, and said that they should be sufficient to keep her from drawing any attention to herself. She had left her lavish outfit for him in exchange, figuring that he would be able to sell it for a high price. It was the least she could do for his generosity, and he had refused credits when she had offered.

As they approached a larger city and bustling spaceport, Breha decided to let Anakin off the hook and forge ahead alone. "You can drop me off in the city, Anakin," she said loudly, lifting the mask away from her mouth for a moment. "I think that it would be best if I continued along by myself. This is my battle, not yours."

For a moment it seemed that Anakin had not heard her over the wind and engines, but then he ripped off his mask and looked at her dejectedly. "At the station you said that you needed my help to get to Coruscant!" he cried. "That I couldn't just go home and forget about what was happening on Alderaan!" He looked away and at the approaching cityscape of low, sand scoured, tan and brown buildings, keeping the mask off. "Besides, what if something happened to you? I wouldn't be able to live with myself… not after rescuing you from your ship! I feel responsible for you now!"

"That's very sweet Anakin!" She said, leaning towards him so that she didn't have to yell as loudly. "But I'll be just fine! Once I'm on a transport, nothing will happen to me, and once on Coruscant, I will only need to find Senator Palpatine. He will grant me audience and call a special session of the Senate if necessary." She grimaced as she felt sand pelting the side of her mouth. "So, you see, there's really nothing else you can do! You should go home and be with your family… they need you more than I do."

…

Breha's words hit Anakin hard. How could she not want him to go with her? He stepped on the accelerator and brought the speeder into the outskirts of Mos Eisley at high speed, scaring some local youngsters that were outside in a junkyard working on building a pod racer. But he slowed when they finally reached the main shipping district, which was lined with large landing pads and hangars. There was a transport cruiser on one of the pads at the far end of the strip, so Anakin parked the speeder in front of the entry gate.

He looked over at Breha, who was now looking up at the ship. He wanted to say something, but he was finding it hard to find the right words. That wasn't like Anakin, he was usually so sure of himself and in control back on the farm. Maybe he should just forget and go back home, back to the life he knew. She turned to him, and in her eyes he could see that she was anxious, unsure. She was a princess and had probably never been on any type of public mass transport before.

"Looks like this is my stop, huh?" She said and started to climb slowly out of the speeder.

Anakin got out as well and helped her to get R2 unloaded from the thruster decking. The droid was her only baggage. "Are you sure?" he asked her desperately, hoping that she would change her mind and tell Anakin that she needed him desperately to go with her. "I really don't mind going! It would be an honor to accompany you on such an important mission…" he grimaced at how hackneyed he sounded.

"R2 will keep me company, won't you R2?" she said to the little astromech, patting him on the top of his dome. R2 whistled back, pleased to be rolling under his own power again after being tied down to the speeder.

"Well," Anakin started, looking down at his feet, "I guess this is good-bye then… Good luck with, with everything."

"Thank you Anakin," she smiled. "We might still be stuck out in the desert starving right now if it weren't for you!" She gave him a quick hug, which caught him off guard. "Thanks again… I guess I owe you one…"

She let go and turned around quickly and headed for the platform gate. There was a lean to set up against the shabby wire fencing, where a big creature with furry ears was selling tickets. There were no express flights from Tatooine to Coruscant, or anywhere for that matter, so Anakin figured she would have to make a few stops along the way for more loading and unloading. R2 followed the princess closely as she purchased a ticket and got in line to board the ship. Anakin was hoping she would turn around and wave, but she just kept going slowly, waiting her turn to go up the ramp. When she finally made it through the hatch, she was gone… swallowed up by the big ship.

He could hardly stand it. Breha had been standing there just a minute ago, talking to him. She had hugged him so fast, he had hardly had time to register it. He wished he could have that moment back again, so that he could appreciate it this time. As the last few passengers started up the ramp, he saw the ticket seller starting to close up his vendor case and hop down from the tall chair he had been sitting on in the lean to.

Anakin turned around and put a hand on the speeder ready to hop back in, but then something called to him. He knew that going home was the wrong decision, and he would have to act quickly to correct his mistake. He looked back at the ship, and then at the ticket vendor, grabbed his old satchel from the speeder and started to run towards the gate.

The seller grunted and turned around to look at Anakin, but didn't stop closing the gate. "What's your problem, partner?" he growled, stepping between the boy and the gate.

"I have to get on that ship," Anakin said as calmly as he could, pointing at the vessel. He could see now that two attendants were getting ready to wheel away the ramp.

"No can do, sport!" the seller said, arms crossed. "All sold out today I'm afraid, you can try another ship further down the strip or come back tomorrow."

"No good!" Anakin scowled, "you don't seem to understand… I need to be ON… THAT… SHIP…." Anakin forced his words and stared at the ticket agent, imploring him to understand his need. But the agent froze in place and Anakin began to think it was hopeless. Then he realized that it appeared that the agent was having trouble breathing, and his eyes were bulging unnaturally. He continued to look at him, and the vendor's lips started to flap, trying to find the right words.

"Hold on!" He yelled over to the attendants, which had moved the ramp about 5 meters away from the craft now. "My young friend here has got to get on that ship! Bring the ramp back and open the hatch!" He moved out of Anakin's way and waved him through the gate, opening it back up far enough for the boy to slip through.

"Thank you!" Anakin yelled back, not believing his luck. He ran towards the ramp which was just getting back into place. He bounded up and through the oval opening on the side of the ship.

Another attendant was waiting on the inside of the hatch. "Seats are all taken, but you can sit in the back cargo area," she said, pointing in the direction of the stern of the vessel. He hurried back while keeping his head down. He didn't want Breha to know that he had boarded until they were underway. He hoped that she would understand his feelings, if only he could express them to her.

He heard the ramp outside rolling away once again, and the hatch slam shut. Huge engines powered up and the craft began to lift smoothly into the air. Anakin was nervous and excited all at the same time. He had never left Tatooine before, and now he was going across half the galaxy.


	12. Escape

12.

When Bail finally came to he had no idea what day it was, or how long he had been unconscious. The sky outside of the office window was filled with stunning colors of deep burgundy and indigo. Night was falling again, and he was still imprisoned. His bones ached, his head pounded, and his skin burned. Bail was unsure if he should even try to move, he had no idea just how broken he might be. Even through the faint scent of electricity burning out of the field generator that was keeping him captive, he could still pick out the wondrous overture of aromas wafting in through the open window. It was the scent of trees, flowers, rivers, lakes, and mountains.

Bail assumed that he had not been checked on in some time. There was no food left for him in his cell, and nothing else seemed to have been disturbed. His shirt still lay crumpled next to him, half inside and half outside of the force field. He looked at it for some time and pondered, tracing the contours of the folds in his mind, watching the very faint, almost imperceptible glow of the field playing over those folds. Just one touch of the nearly invisible barrier and there would be intense pain and likely a period of paralysis, but the shirt did not care. It was not damaged or moved by the energy field.

On the other side of the shirt, firmly outside of the force shell, sat the field generator. A dull glow came from a lens like output shaft, where energy came pouring out to surround the prisoner. There was also a backup power generator sitting in the corner of the room. Between these two devices, an electrical cable snaked across the floor. It did not go in a nice straight line, but lay in loops and curls through the office, mostly bunched up along the side wall. Bail did notice however, that one of the loops disappeared for a short distance. It went right underneath his shirt.

He slowly lifted his head, and then pushed his arms against the floor to prop himself up further. His flesh was resistant to the movement, but his spirit began to force the issue against his body's will. Once at a higher angle, Bail was able to see the contour of the looped cable as it came within an inch of the force field, right underneath the fabric of his shirt. He put his head as close to the field as he dared without touching it so he could get a good look at where the closest point was, and every detail about how his shirt was haphazardly bunched right in that area. He could feel the static charge on his scalp and in his ears, buzzing and trying to sting him with its charge.

Had the guards not seen? Had they really been this careless? It seemed a small chance, but perhaps the only chance he had. Or maybe it was a trap, left to catch him in the act of trying to escape? No, that was unlikely. If they had wanted to they could have staged anything to make his murder look necessary. This seemed far too sophisticated to be worth their trouble.

Bail finally risked touching the shirt, firstly just with the tip of a finger. The contact left him unharmed. The next time he pinched the collar lightly between his thumb and finger and lifted just the smallest bit of fabric off of the floor. Once again, he felt no bite of current through the fabric and the field seemed to continue happily humming without noticing the movement. Then he tried shifting the fabric underneath the energy barrier a little to the left, and then to the right, but without disturbing the part that covered the wire.

After several minutes of careful experimentation, he decided it was worth a try. "time to act, Senator!" he whispered to himself quietly.

This time, he snuck his hand, as flat as he could make it, underneath the fabric. He left it there for a moment, just a hairs width from where the field contacted the shirt. Then, trying not to move the fabric in relation to the field, molecule by molecule he shimmied his hand forward, further under the shirt, and underneath the field itself. It was a strange, uncomfortable, otherworldly feeling. The pressure and current seemed to surround his skin and slowly began to burn it, but the painful and sudden jolt never hit. The shirt was protecting him just enough.

He was sweating from the burning pain as his fingers touched and slowly curled around the cable on the outside of the force field. It seemed forever before he felt he had sufficient grip on it to start pulling. Bail wanted so terribly to jerk his hand back inside, but he did not want to risk losing the barrier of the shirt, and continued going as slowly as possible without allowing the fabric to move, leaving a tunnel through which he could manipulate the length of cable. Finally, his hand was fully back inside the field, and a tiny portion of the conduit became visible laying inside of the field, underneath the fabric of his shirt. The electrical sensation began slowly to recede, and he wanted to let go of the thick wire, and cradle his hand which felt like it had been plunged into the heart of a thruster flame. But he did not let go of the cable. He held onto it like a vise, and curled up again on the floor. Once again he could feel the pain coursing through his entire body. He fought to stay awake as the hunger and fatigue tried to pull him down into blackness.

As he lay there on his side, he pulled the cable carefully towards him, keeping the bridge of the shirt as stable as possible. It was a heavy cable, and he didn't know what kind of damage he could do to it, but he started to twist and bend it as severely as possible. He tied it and kinked it, hoping to cause fissures through the brittle wires inside of it. After what seemed like an hour of bending, stretching and tearing at the cable, Bail finally heard a slight waver in the current of the field. Freezing momentarily, he tried to duplicate the movement that had caused the disturbance, and he was successful at getting the current to oscillate again. Now he excitedly doubled his efforts, pulling and stretching the wire with renewed vigor. He heard a very slight crackle and the entire field seemed to flicker. He kinked the wire again and the field dropped, then kicked back on.

Preparing himself for a final assault, he stretched the cable with all his might, kinked it, and held his breath. As soon as the field dropped, he rolled towards the wall, holding the cable kinked in his hands so tightly his fingers felt like iron. Everything rolled with him, the shirt, the cable, and when he hit the wall his grip altered just enough to allow the current o flow once more, and the field snapped down around the center of the room once again. This time though, he was on the outside, huddled against the wall, near the corner of the room.

Now, Bail could truly feel the cool breeze of the Alderaan evening coming in through the window. The twilight colors had faded while he had worked and now he could see a few stars through the window. One bright pinpoint of light in the sky moved in the opposite direction as the rest, and he knew that it was one of the Trade federation ships orbiting the planet. Bail's breathing was labored from his efforts and he felt as if he could just lay curled up against the wall and weep. But his fear of being discovered kept him alert and spurred him to move towards the window. The air outside was cool and refreshing and helped to fill him with renewed strength. There were thick vines creeping up the side of the building at this level, and he was able to climb out and onto one of them. His muscles screamed with agony as he shimmied his way down the slightly curved edifice to the gardens below.

As soon as his feet hit the ground he could hear the echo of hurried footsteps rounding the path which led to the fountain near where he had landed. A pair of soldiers rounded the building and Bail ducked behind a row of bushes, trying to stay out of sight. Obviously his descent had not been quite enough not to attract some attention. He could hear them whispering urgently and looking around the area of the fountain and gardens. The two guards separated and began searching the area, while Bail slowly moved around the perimeter where deep shadows offered the best cover. He saw his chance when the soldier near the fountain turned his back to Bail and looked in the low pool of the fountain.

Exhausted, hungry, and angry; Bail ran out of the darkness and straight at the soldier. He wasn't sure if it was his shadow against the garden lanterns, or the sound of him running that betrayed him first, but the guard began to turn as he closed the distance between them. Bail put his head down and shoulder forward and plowed right through the man's center of gravity. They both went flying into the fountain, and the guard's rifle went spinning in the air and splashed between them. Luckily, the disoriented soldier had been caught off guard and was still trying to right himself, so Bail managed to grab the blaster first. He turned it up and hit the guard square in the jaw with the butt and sent him reeling back into the water again, this time the man's helmet came flying off and landed on the stone walk and clattered away loudly.

The second soldier was now running towards them with rifle raised. Bail swung the gun around one handed and fired towards him. The shot echoed loudly through the garden and adjacent square, the soldier's knees buckled, and then he fell. Bail looked back down at the guard in the water, who looked unconscious, but alive. Then he hopped out of the fountain and ran to the other guard, and grabbed his blaster.

He could hear other voices coming from the square and knew he was running out of time, but he had never before killed a man. He bent down and pulled the helmet off of the guard and looked at him. Bail's brow furrowed as he realized that this soldier looked exactly like the one that was laying in the fountain. Perhaps they were brothers, but there was something else about their features that bothered Bail, something just a little… off. But he didn't have the luxury of time to think about it right now. He gathered up the weapons that he had collected and made for the park woods that were beyond the fountains and garden. From there he should be able to make it into the forest and have a decent chance of remaining unnoticed. Until what? He wasn't sure, but perhaps now at least he could begin to search for Breha.


	13. Fury

13.

Anakin woke with a start. He had not realized that he had nodded off soon after the ship left Tatooine. The cargo area was only dimly lit, and the drone of the thrusters and slight vibrating hum of the deck plating on which he sat had been too much for him after almost two days of constant activity. He dug through his satchel to find one last yellow tuber which was beginning to go soft and took a bite to satiate his hunger. But the root vegetable had begun to turn and had a slight taste of rot to it, so he spat out the bite and threw the remains aside, leaning his head back against the storage locker that he was sitting up against.

He was still awfully hungry though. He had a few measly credit fractions in his pocket, but he wasn't even sure if it was enough to buy anything. If he saw the attendant come back to the cargo area again he would ask, but until then he figured he was just out of luck. If he had been sitting in the passenger compartment with Breha, she would have offered to get him something. He knew that she had an ample number of credits with her, he had overheard her offer some to Merl back at the station in return for the travelling clothes he had supplied her with. Anakin thought that perhaps It was dangerous to travel with that much currency. A person could easily be swindled, or robbed.

But Anakin wasn't ready to reveal his presence yet. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to Breha when she saw that he had followed her. He wasn't certain if she would be angry with him, or happy to see him, and got a pit in his stomach just thinking about it. Maybe instead of embarrassing himself it would be better to just hide back in the cargo area until the ship returned to Tatooine. He would be dreadfully hungry, but he would survive.

Closing his eyes, he tried to forget his troubles, and all of the stupid things he had said and done since meeting the princess. It would be best if he could nod off again, sleep through his hunger, and ignore the rest of the galaxy just a little bit longer. However, he was finding it difficult to relax as there was increasing commotion coming from the seating area. Anakin ignored the rising Melee and pulled the hood of his cloak over his head to block some of the noise.

Then Anakin heard a muffled shout, a high pitched scream, and a shot. At least he thought it was a shot. He pulled his cloak back and stood up filled with dread. Something terrible was going on up there and Breha was in the middle of it. The clamor had decreased since the blaster shot, but there were still a few shouts bouncing around the cabin. Anakin pulled a stiff metal tool from his satchel and peeked through the hatch into the passenger compartment.

There, at the front of the cabin, stood a large Trandoshan male. He was a tall, bipedal reptilian, with scaled skin, beady black eyes, and thick, powerful limbs. In one oversized webbed hand his claws curled around an enormous blaster rifle. His other hand was wrapped tightly around Breha's neck. Anakin's eyes grew large and his muscles tense, and before he could even put any thought behind his actions he burst through the hatch and down the middle of the cabin. He stopped half way down the aisle of seats where people were standing and murmuring loudly. He pushed one passenger out of his way and then pointed at the reptilian perpetrator.

"Let her go!" he yelled, catching the attention of the beast and all of the passengers at once.

"Anakin!?" Breha managed to choke out in shock as her airway was being strangled by powerful scaly claws.

The Trandoshan laughed and shook his blaster at Anakin. "Sorry boy, this one is mine now," the creature hissed slowly. "I lost my bounty back on Tatooine and couldn't bear to go home empty handed." He casually looked Breha up and down with his glassy eyes then turned back to Anakin. "This one should fetch a good price in the slave market on Talasea. Many weary travelers along these routes are looking for companionship! We will be getting off at the next stop," he raised the huge gun and pointed it directly at Anakin. "But I'm afraid you won't make it!"

Anakin ducked as the rifle fired and the beam passed just over his right shoulder. He rushed forward and threw the tool he had in his hand at the bounty hunter's head. It glanced off the scaly forehead without harm and went skittering across the floor. But the Trandoshan was momentarily caught off guard and Anakin ran right through his arm, causing Breha to fall free of his grip. She fell to the side and held her neck and chest, trying to regain her breath.

The creature howled in rage and swung the blaster at Anakin, trying to club him with it. But the reptilian limbs, though powerful, were too slow to keep up, and Anakin was able to continue avoiding the crushing blows. So the beast went back after his initial target and reached again for Breha. Anakin grabbed the huge arm and tried to divert the bounty hunter's attention back to him, but the beast threw him aside like a child's doll. If only Anakin had a blaster on him, this would be a short fight indeed.

Anakin landed nearly two meters from where he was thrown, and the impact knocked the wind out of him. Through blurry eyes he saw Breha being picked up, and heard the beastly creature begin to laugh once again. The princesses face turned a bright red as the great Trandoshan hunter lifted her from the ground by her neck. Anakin was sure that the life was being strangled out of her, and he raised to his hands and knees.

"Stop!" he huffed as his breath returned to him. "Stop! You're killing her!" The tool that he had thrown lay on the deck nearby and he picked it up, ready to throw it again. But this time as he raised it up, the cylinder sprang to life and a long glowing shaft of light extended from the end of the shaft. The light was coherent, giving off very little heat to the surrounding air, but circling back on itself nearly infinitely, and humming with enormous power. The blade it created was unbreakable, unstoppable.

Anakin was transfixed by beauty of the weapon for only a moment, and then turned to act. Gripping the hilt of the mighty sword, he leapt from his knees the full distance to the bounty hunter. When he came down the blade slashed right through the arm of the beast as if it weren't even there. With an easy cut the Trandoshan was separated from most of his right arm, and the princess fell away, landing among the seats in the front of the cabin where other passengers began to scream again at the sudden turn of events. The creature fell the other direction, as if trying to escape from the terrible onslaught that now came down on it.

With the full fury of his anger driving him on, Anakin took the blade once more and stood over the bounty hunter where he had fallen. Before the dismembered Trandoshan was able to raise his blaster again, the boy from Tatooine stabbed him through the chest, and twisted the saber. The beast howled in agony and anger and then fell silent, slumping on the deck. Anakin held the lightsaber in front of him, waiting for the beast to stir, but the great hunter was dead.

The humming blade collapsed as Anakin released his death grip on the control handle, and it once again became just a simple metal cylinder. He knelt over Breha as she became responsive again. His hand was on her shoulder as she opened her eyes and looked at him.

"What happened?" she asked. "I thought he was going to kill me…"

"So did I," Anakin spoke, relieved to see that Breha was ok. "But he isn't going to bother us anymore."

"Oh, good!" she coughed, and grabbed at her throat, "I couldn't take much more of that!" She slowly sat up and caught a glimpse of the slain bounty hunter laying on the deck of the ship. "Did you do that, Anakin?"

He nodded as people began to crowd in around him, thanking him for his bravery and congratulating him on his survival. "I'm just glad you're ok," he told her.

"I'm just glad you're here. I guess that's two I owe you…" She whispered as she put her arms around him.

This time he was waiting for it, and enjoyed every moment of the embrace.


	14. Communion

14.

Darkness had fallen quickly as Obi Wan and Jan made their way through a thickly forested woodland towards the capitol center. They had passed one patrol made up of four soldiers, but were easily able to evade them by quietly moving through thicker copses of trees. It appeared to Obi Wan that they were looking for someone or something specific, but the search pattern they followed was irregular and inadequate if they were actually hunting anyone. The troops were well armed, but otherwise the impression that he got was that they were inexperienced and poorly trained.

When the patrol was close enough that Obi Wan had been able to observe them, he sensed a strange bond or connection between all of the members of the patrol. In a strange way they appeared to act of one mind, with very little individuality between them. He supposed that this could also be a result of poor training conditions. The federation may only have had time to tear the individuals down, but not enough time to build elite soldiers back up. Either way, the more that Obi Wan was able to monitor them, the more he felt that their lack of skill and experience would be beneficial to any resistance offered.

When the patrol was safely behind them, Obi Wan and Jan were able to pick up the pace again and soon came into a vast area of well-groomed groves and fields. "Capitol parkland," whispered Jan. "We should stay to the perimeter and circle around until we reach the commons so that we stay well hidden."

Beyond the open spaces Obi Wan could clearly see the graceful structures of the capitol, lit up by clusters of spotlights so as to seem like multifaceted jewels rising from the forest. The sight of the stunning architecture struck him as beautiful. But the purity of that beauty was stained by the overwhelming feeling of sorrow that blanketed the planet. As he followed Jan through dense thickets to the east his thoughts returned to his brother, lost only two days ago in the space above where he stood.

Obi Wan knew well his brother's daring and bravado. Ben had not at all been what you might consider a typical Jedi. Master Yoda had even shown some concern over the adventurous spirit that Ben exhibited on multiple occasions. Obi Wan, though a spirited youth himself, could appreciate the lessons that they were being taught about focus, concentration, meditation; but these often seemed lost on Ben who labored in his fantasies of intrigue and combat. Obi Wan in contrast had been very attentive, and excelled in the disciplines of the peaceful mind. Once his formal training had come to an end he, like many Jedi before him, had chosen a life of solitude, which had led him eventually to Tatooine. There were ages long past in which the Jedi had been dynamically involve in politics, commerce, war; but this had always led invariably to darker times for the galaxy. A Jedi with too much power and too much to lose could become unbelievably dangerous.

The two travelers broke out of the thick underbrush and into an area of pine forest, where the long needled branches hovered a few feet above their heads and a soft carpet of fallen needles cushioned their footsteps. A still quietness surrounded them as they trudged onward, and Obi Wan could feel his senses dull from the muffled silence. Obi Wan noticed that a strange blue glow emanated from every direction. It was so dim at first that he was only barely aware of it, and passed it off as reflections from the capitol floodlights off of the canopy of trees above. But with every step the light grew more brilliant in his vision.

"Jan," Obi Wan whispered to his companion. "Should we go around? There must be searchlights nearby." He paused and looked around, trying to get a fix on the source of the light, but it was coming from all around him. Jan did not stop, apparently not hearing Obi Wan, and not alarmed by the spotlight that was shining all about them.

 _"Obi Wan…"_

The voice came to him in his heart and mind, pulling at his very essence.

"Obi Wan, are you woolgathering? Master Yoda would be appalled."

A spectral apparition began to coalesce out of the light, drawing its being from the trees, the ground, and the air. Every particle of matter within sight contributed to the ghostly figure. Soon the light that had danced around Obi Wan was gone, and stepping towards him in a shimmer of mist was his brother. Obi Wan held his breath and waited, not wanting to disturb the magic that was transpiring before him.

"Ben?" He didn't mean to let the name slip, sure that the spell would be broken. But his brother smiled at him, and continued to approach. In a moment they stood face to face, and Obi Wan's spirit could feel, without question, the company of his twin.

"Surprised to see me brother?" Ben's lips moved but the voice still seemed to speak to Obi Wan directly in his mind. "I'm happy that my refugees were able to find you without further assistance from me. Sorry I was not able to come and petition for your assistance in person."

"You died trying to escape from this system," Obi Wan stated inelegantly. "But you are here. I'm not imagining this."

"The force lives strong in our imaginations brother, but ties us inexorably to the greater truth. I am here as surely as you are, and that is the fundamental truth. Truth is faith, and faith is truth; and I have faith in you Obi Wan." Ben's Ghost looked up towards the heavens and laughed, "they did get me though! It was a lucky shot by the way, which is why I didn't sense it. Sometimes they get even the best of us!"

Obi Wan extended a hand towards his brother but left his fingers a few inches away from making contact. "I thought I would never see you again," he choked and then slowly withdrew. "I thought that I would need to find a way to continue on alone, without the feeling of balance and harmony with the force."

"Change is inevitable Obi Wan," Ben walked among the pines, not disturbing the delicate needles on the ground as he passed. "One cannot appreciate the light without darkness. That is the true nature of balance. And one cannot endure peace and happiness without suffering agony and loss." He paused underneath the branches of an especially large tree, which appeared as a great temple of life above the ghostly figure. A frown appeared on Ben's face and his brow furrowed, "There is an unimaginable agony on the horizon. It will affect you profoundly my brother, although it will not be your agony to bear. Soon the Jedi order will all but vanish, and what will remain will be an abomination of the force. It is this agony and loss for which you must prepare."

"But if this trial is not mine to accept, then how will I prepare for it?" Obi Wan asked the specter.

"You must train the one…" Ben said mysteriously. "He will be in need of guidance and direction, although he will serve two masters. The darkness has been awaiting him for millennia, and will not surrender him easily. The power he will possess will be nearly unstoppable. You, Obi Wan, must give him a sense of the light, something for which his spirit can yearn through all of his struggles."

"I'm no Jedi Master," Obi Wan parried. "Master Yoda would surely be…"

"Yoda will not see this one," Ben interrupted. "He has seen the immense anger and the suffering it brings. He believes that there is no hope for him."

"How can I take on such a task, knowing that I am bound to fail?" Obi wan searched his feelings, meditating on the problem.

"It is only when your failure is complete that the tide will begin to turn," Ben's voice boomed inside of Obi Wan's head, and the ghostly image among the pines began to dissolve into slivers of light which vanished into the night. "Remember Obi Wan… Many battles will be lost, but it is the balance that must be maintained. Do not allow the light to extinguish… Do not allow hope to fade…"

…

Obi Wan was left standing alone in the dark woods, a cool breeze danced through the trees and he shivered. The physical feeling of the night chill brought him back into reality and he gazed around him, seeing no light, no movement. But then he did hear a snap among the twigs and needles, and a whispered voice coming from ahead of him.

"Obi Wan!" the strained voice whispered loudly. "I think someone is coming!"

He hoped perhaps that it was still his brother that was calling to him, but then Lieutenant Dodanna came running from edge of the pine clearing back to where Obi Wan stood, blaster in hand. Jan grabbed the Jedi's arm and tugged him out of the open. They crouched next to the trunk of a tree and watched as a figure stumbled into the clear soft pine bedding. The individual was difficult to see in the darkness but was moving as one would expect a wounded, desperate man to be. As he passed by them Jan jumped out and pushed the blaster into the shadowy figure's back.

"Hold!" Jan said with a commanding voice and the man froze.

Then two blasters dropped from his hands and he turned around to face the Lieutenant. A look of profound relief spread across the man's face and he slumped forward into Jan's arms. "Bail?" Jan shouted in disbelief. "Bail? My God! Are you ok?" He held his friend and helped him gently down to the forest floor.

"Jan…" Bail managed to squeak through his parched throat. "Where is Breha? Is she here? Is she safe?"

"Yes, my friend," he spoke gently to the slumped senator, who looked gaunt and malnourished. "We escaped from Alderaan and Breha booked passage to Corescant to speak to Palpatine and the Senate. She is safe, and fighting for all of us."

"Good, good..." Bail slouched over further. The senator mumbled Breha's name a few times and then passed into unconsciousness.

Obi Wan approached and stood over the pair. "Stay here and give him food and water. I'll return shortly." He put his hand on Jan's shoulder and looked back towards where they had passed the patrol. "There's something that I need to check on."


	15. Sheeve

15.

The droid had put himself into a recovery sleep after the transport had left Tatooine for the long voyage to Coruscant. Subroutines had recognized each stop on the trade route on which they travelled. Aridus, Denon, Talesea, Corellia, Sarapin; they had spent several hours at each of these space ports. His processors knew general location through many input methods, which is why astromech droids such as himself were used as backup systems for many smaller vessels, which usually only had a single built in navigational computer. Different models of astromechs were tweaked to the peculiarities of different varieties of craft, but for the most part they were all pretty similar to each other. One oddity about the R2 models was their uncanny ability to communicate with sentient life. The other astromech models wouldn't get anywhere without the assistance of a protocol droid, or other intermediary system for translation. But R2 units had a keen sense for the emotions of humans and other creatures, and although they could not replicate the language, they were often able to communicate through other means.

This is how it had been with his master, Ben Kenobi. Although Ben had originally purchased him at a trade market on Bestine, the droid had grown fiercely devoted to the man. The absence of his master had created a kind of void in his programming and memory. Data fragments related to the man had become mysteriously corrupted as he had tried to piece them together into a permanent memory and keepsake. But the more he tried to hard code the remembrances of their adventures together, the more they simply seemed to slip away. This disturbing lack of data was confusing to his higher cognitive functions, and left him often lost and bewildered. He hoped that the downtime during the passage to the galaxy core would allow his systems to recover, at least to some degree.

The female that had taken him under her wing seemed like a fine human. It was very sensible that she had decided to bring him along on the journey, and not leave him in the middle of nowhere on a desert planet. The sand and dust had been getting into his joints and motors, if he had been exposed to the elements much longer, he might have needed emergency maintenance. Besides, the droid found space travel to be soothing, comforting. Droids such as himself were designed to exist best in the vacuum of space, this was where he was truly in his element.

His systems tripped back to full power and readiness when the craft came out of hyperspace and into an approach orbit over Coruscant. He had been stored with several other droids in the belly of the transport, in a hold where air pressure was not maintained. But after touching down on a landing platform, the bay door was opened and the droids, along with other cargo items, began to be unloaded. When he saw the female called Breha, he noticed that the human male from Tatooine accompanied her again. The last input he had had before being loaded into the hold back on the hot, sandy world was that the female would be travelling alone from that point further. R2 was curious as to what exactly had changed.

Breha walked over to where the droid sat in the unloading zone, and showed one of the attendants a ticket. Then she walked beside R2 and patted him on the dome. "This one, he's mine," she said and the attendant waved her through. When they were clear of the cargo area, Breha bent down and cleaned some of the dust and grit off of R2's optical sensor. "I hope you had a good trip. I must say, mine was quite eventful," she patted him again as she stood up and looked around. The little droid danced back and forth, beeping and chirping up a storm. Breha laughed, "Yes R2! I'm very happy to see you too!"

…

The droid followed her through the baggage collection area and out onto the main walkway where Anakin was waiting for them. "I've never seen so many buildings," he said looking around at the vast metropolis that reached as far as the eye could see. "There's no end to them!" Anakin walked to the very edge of the walkway and looked over. The drop was immense, he could not see where the ground was, or even if there was any ground. Perhaps it was man made construction all the way down to the core.

"Careful Anakin," Breha said as she stopped a few steps back from the edge, "I don't want to lose you already!"

"Oh, I'm not afraid," he replied easily, "I used to walk along the edge of Beggar's Canyon back home. A fall from there would have done me in just as surely as this," he peered over one more time, awed by the height, "albeit probably a little quicker…"

It turned out that they had landed in an entertainment and business district quite a distance from the Senate building and high seat of the Republic, and it took several hours before they found their way via various forms of public transportation to the bustling center of power. Senator Palpatine's office was near the top floor of an office spire which reached high above the Senatorial complex which included the venerated meeting chamber in which all planets had equal voice in galactic politics.

Anakin and Breha still wore the same tattered clothes that they had left Tatooine in and looked quite out of place is the stately office building, surrounded by emissaries, administrators and ambassadors. But when the princess of Alderaan made herself known to the Senator's staff and asked to see him immediately if possible, it set off a flurry of activity in and out of Palpatine's offices. In only a few minutes they were told that they could go in to see the senator and were shown the way into his enormous private chamber.

"Ah, Princess!" Palpatine sang happily as she entered the room. "What an unexpected surprise! It has been far too long since I have seen you, I just don't get back to Alderaan as often as I should you know, what with all of the committees and board meetings that I must attend. I must say that the busy life sometimes gets the better of me sometimes, and I forget about the simple pleasures of being among the simple serenity of home. Now, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? It sounded as if you might have some important business to discuss."

"Undeniably true Senator," Breha began. Anakin could tell that she was struggling to find the right words to use while keeping her emotions in check. She stood very straight and her eyes were locked in the general direction of the Senator, but she could not bring herself to look directly at him for fear of breaking down., so she looked just slightly to his left and over his shoulder, concentrating on the skyline out of the window behind where Palpatine was standing.

"I'm afraid that something terrible has happened on Alderaan," she continued valiantly. "The system has been taken hostage by the trade federation, and I'm afraid that it happened during the visit of Chancellor Valorum. I was able to escape the system with some assistance, and have finally managed to find my way here… to ask for your help. As you know, Alderaan is peaceful. No weapons, no military. We have no way to defend against the occupation. Until now no one would dare move against us due to the influence of the syndicate and our important position to galactic trade. But now it seems that the Federation themselves have decided to move against us."

While Breha explained the events on Alderaan, Palpatine's face slowly fell from a look of cheer to one of malice. "How dare they interfere with the natural rights of our fair system, the Viceroy will pay dearly for being so audacious. I was planning to speak in this afternoon's session about stricter banking regulations in the outer rim territories, but this matter will take precedence. I can assure your highness that these actions against the sovereignty of Alderaan will be dealt with swiftly, even if I have to muster the troops myself. However, I feel confident that the general assembly will side with us on this. The trade federation has not been making many friends lately, and I am sure that many systems would like to see them and their arrogant Viceroy put in their place!"

"You don't know how much it means to me to hear you say that, Senator," Breha breathed a sigh of relief. "I dearly hoped that you would champion our cause before the senate."

"Perhaps you should come with me, my dear," Palpatine softened and walked closer to where Breha was standing with Anakin behind her. "I believe my colleagues no longer associate me with anything but Coruscant and the Senate, so it would work in our favor to have an important native presence for them to identify with." Palpatine finally took notice of Anakin standing a few steps behind the princess and waved him forward. "And are you also a native of our home planet, dear boy?"

"Oh, no sir, um, I'm actually from Tatooine," Anakin stumbled a bit as he came up to stand beside Breha. "I just came with her highness to make sure she got here ok."

"Ah, valiant effort!" Palpatine smiled, "it is good to see that chivalry is not a lost art form." The Senator offered the two visitors refreshments and had an administrator come in to fit Breha to a suitable gown for her appearance before the Senate. While the princess was in the next room and the conversation became more relaxed, his attention turned back to Anakin. "From Tatooine you say? You've certainly travelled quite a distance haven't you?"

"I had never left home before yesterday," Anakin said reticently, "But I felt this was too important to not get involved."

"And now that you have accomplished your mission, and seen the princess safely to her destination, do you plan to return to your home?" Palpatine's eyes seemed to sparkle as he scrutinized the young man. "Or would you perhaps like to continue to fight for our cause?"

"Honestly, sir, I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it. I'm not even sure if I can go home now. My family is probably furious with me, I left in such a hurry. But on the other hand, what could I possibly do to help?"

"Don't sell yourself short, boy!" Palpatine laughed. "First of all, the princess seems to have taken quite a shine to you, and I would trust her judgement completely. I sense in you a great many talents, and strength far beyond that of a common farmer from some faraway sandbox. Yes, I believe you could be of great use to us, and to the subjugated people of Alderaan. Yes, I can see the yearning inside of you, just waiting to come out."

Anakin stared at the old man, starry eyed with the thought of his own strength and talent. His mind began imagining endless adventure, and travelling further with Breha all the way back to her home, and fighting for her, and being her hero. Excitement buzzed around in his head and made him feel a euphoria like he had never experienced before. But then Breha came back into the room and Anakin's attention was broken. She was in an elegant dress of silver and gold, and her hair had been put up in elaborate braids which were looped and stacked charmingly.

Palpatine raised from his seat, walked to the princess and took her hands, "My, you do look beautiful your highness. You are sure to win favor with the senate today!"

"Yeah, you look amazing!" Anakin agreed awkwardly.

Palpatine looked at Anakin and smiled, then turned back at the princess. "By the way your highness. I never had the chance to formally congratulate you on your engagement to Senator Organa, the two of you will make a wonderful couple, I couldn't be happier for you! Hopefully this messy business with the trade Federation will be taken care of quickly so that we can all get back to our happy plans for the future."

"I hope you're right Senator," Breha gulped. "I must admit I'm extremely worried about Bail. It's been too long since I've heard from him and I'm beginning to fear the worst."

"You mustn't worry my dear, I am certain that your fiancée is unharmed and that you will be reunited with him soon…"

Anakin listened as they continued to speak, but his heart was sinking. Engagement? Fiancée? The jealousy rose in him like a sandstorm and engulfed him. Breha had never given any indication, she had been so nice to him, so kind and so grateful. She owed him, right? Hadn't she said that? Yes, she owed him.

…

After the Princess and the farm boy had been shown out, Sheeve called Captain Tarkin into his office. The Captain had been listening to the conversations from an adjacent suite, and had become concerned about their plans.

"Don't worry, Captain," explained the Senator, "Everything is well in hand. The arrival of the princess could not be more perfect. "She will draw support from the senate and provide greater legitimacy to our attack on Alderaan."

"And what of the boy, Sire?" Tarkin wondered, "Why such an interest in him?"

"Yes Captain, do you not see it?" Sheeve sniggered, "The boy has greatness in him, but it has not been tapped yet. We must reign him in before he becomes dangerous. I will leave him in your care during the attack, Captain. Just make sure he comes back to me relatively intact."


	16. Clones

16.

Obi Wan had tracked the scouting party until he was certain of his suspicions, and then began to make his way back to where he had left Jan tending to Bail's injuries. A small stream was off to his right and he followed it back the way he had come. A light wind gently pushed at the branches above his head and darkness still covered the forest but the young Jedi could sense that dawn was not far off. He hoped that the senator would be revived enough to move on when he returned.

While he walked briskly, he meditated on the things that his brother had told him; Balance, light and dark, great agony and great despair. It seemed to make sense when his brother was telling him, seemed to have an immediate relevance. Now it just seemed like a pit in his stomach, sitting there, worrying him. He was finding it very difficult to keep balance even within himself at the moment. When He and Jan had left Tatooine, it seemed imperative that they get to Alderaan, to find where the political prisoners were being kept, to locate the Viceroy and bring him to justice. But as he walked alone through the cool forest, he couldn't remember why any of that would matter. The Federation soldiers that he observed made the state of the occupation even more puzzling. He must talk to the senator and try to get more information from him. Perhaps he had had the opportunity to speak to the Viceroy and would have information that could help Obi Wan put some of the pieces together.

As he finally approached the pine clearing he turned off to the left and was able to locate the Lieutenant and the Senator sitting on the ground and chatting easily. He could tell that the two men had been close friends for a long time, and envied them this simple moment of camaraderie. He tried his best not to startle them as he approached but both men still put a hand to their blasters as he came into view.

"Obi Wan!" Jan whispered loudly with relief. "where have you been? It will be morning soon and we're in a bad spot for a campout, we're going to have to get moving soon and figure out how we're going to stay out of sight!" the lieutenant looked over at Bail. "The Senator was starving so I let him have a full ration pack. Also, well, he has some bad news I think he should tell you himself."

Obi Wan crouched down, making a triangle with the other two men. "I was hoping you would have some information for us Senator. Even if it is bad, hopefully it will at least be of some use to us."

"Well," Bail began with a tired, raspy voice, "I'm afraid that Chancellor Valorum is dead. At least that is what I was told, and I have no reason to think that I was being deceived."

Obi Wan tried to fit this into the narrative he was building in his head, but had no luck with it. "who told you this?" He asked Bail.

"Gunray told me," Bail answered, anger showing in his eyes. "While I was in a holding cell. He said that the chancellor had tried to escape custody and was killed."

"And you?" Obi Wan raised an eyebrow, "you managed to escape? Were there no guards waiting to execute you?"

"I went out of the window and down the…" Bail started to recount his escape then stopped. "Hey, just what are you implying here?" He looked back at Jan, "Who is this guy anyway? I thought you said that he could help us, not indict us."

Jan waived his hands to try to settle his friend, "Obi Wan is trying to help Bail, we're just trying to figure out what Gunray's true motive is in all of this."

"He wants Alderaan all for himself." Bail replied, "That's seems to be his only play here. I believe the Viceroy feels that the syndicate is owed what the people of this system have been building though their own hard work and dedication for centuries."

"But why kill the Chancellor then?" Obi Wan asked. "Holding this occupation together requires security, and he seem to have squandered his biggest asset. That was either incredibly careless or it was part of the plan to murder Valorum from the beginning."

"But why?" Jan interrupted. "Gunray wants to rule over Alderaan as a home base for the Federation. He couldn't possibly fancy installing himself as the new Chancellor of the Republic as well, right? That would be madness!"

Something then fell into place in Obi Wan's enigmatic puzzle. "New Chancellor…" he muttered, and both Bail and Jan looked at him. "that must be it!"

"Come on now," Bail said tersely, "Gunray doesn't want to be Chancellor."

"No, no…" Obi Wan thought quickly and excitedly. "Don't you see? Not Gunray, someone else! Somebody is pulling the Viceroy's strings here and making it look as if the Federation is a threat to the peace of the galaxy." The Jedi stood up and looked back towards where he had tracked the small squadron of troops earlier in the night. "That may explain the clones!" he finally exclaimed.

Jan looked at Bail with a confused expression, assuming that his old friend would be just a perplexed by Obi Wan's last statement as he was. But Bail's face had become white with fear. He seemed to know exactly what the Jedi was getting on about. "What's the big secret?" he finally asked his two companions. "What is he talking about Bail?"

"The soldiers…" Bail said with a furrowed brow. "I didn't realize it before, but he's right. It makes sense. A disposable occupation force made of…"

"Clones" Obi Wan finished the thought. "Correct Senator. It would seem that these soldiers are all clones. An entire army of them! All brought here more for show than for much actual fighting. I highly doubt that any of the units could put up much of a fight when push comes to shove. These clones are genetically feeble and also poorly trained. They are just here to make the Federation look more dangerous than it actually is. Alderaan was the perfect target for them, virtually no defense so that they could come in quickly without having to face resistance. In addition, they waited until the Chancellor was present so that they could eliminate that problem at the same time. I would have to conclude that, whatever is going on here, and whoever is behind it all, the galaxy is falling right into their trap!"

"But if that is the case, when the republic responds in force then the federation will be easily driven out," Jan shook his head in frustration. "After all is said and done and Alderaan is free, what will have been the point of all of this?"

"Very true my friend," Bail spoke as a dim light began to overtake the sky to the east and the stars overhead began to dim. "Alderaan may be free, and the Federation weakened, but then where will the real power lay? And who… who will be Chancellor?"

…

Bail had regained enough strength to continue on and the trio began making their way to the west, away from the direction the Senator had fled from. They decided to circle the city and attempt to infiltrate from the housing district close to where Bail and Breha had been living. Jan recalled the fighters circling the city as the landing craft, carrying hundreds of soldiers, had made their descent into the spaceport. He hoped that what Bail and Obi Wan were saying was true, that it would be an easy task to rid their beautiful planet of the Federation Scourge. He was not as concerned with the aftermath as they, he only wanted Alderaan to be free and peaceful once again. Galactic politics was not a top priority for him, he was more concerned with the security of this system.

Obi Wan continued to ask Bail questions about everything that he had seen and heard up to that point, trying to tap the smallest details from the Senator's memory. He even asked him about events from the weeks leading up to the invasion, anything noteworthy, anything unusual? Jan lost track of time as he listened to the two of them chatter back and forth about minutia that he did not see the relevance of, so he just ignored them and concentrated on the path ahead. His attentiveness and experience told him something was wrong with the path up ahead, and he waved back at the others to stop.

All three of them crouched slightly while the Lieutenant continued to peer through the brush further ahead, looking for visual evidence of what his subconscious had warned him about. He did not have to wait long as a blaster bolt screamed less than half a meter above his head. Jan stayed still and fortunately so did his travelling companions as they stayed ducked down behind him. The blast may have been a guess, just trying to flush them out by frightening them. Luckily, all three of them were better trained than that. Bail had been part of his unit when they were just cadets a decade prior, and he now used a hand signal to tell his friend to circle around and flank the troopers that he knew were out ahead of them. Jan started to move in the opposite direction and signaled for Obi Wan to stay put. Hopefully the Jedi would be able to fend for himself, although he was not carrying a blaster.

A minute passed and there was no further fire coming from the troop position, so Jan assumed that Bail had not run into any trouble and must be in position. Jan found a smooth stone near the base of a sapling and picked it up. He looked for a clear path through which to throw so that it would not hit any brush or branches as it flew. Finding the right angle, he hurled the rock as far as he could to a position behind the soldiers and then held his breath. After a few heartbeats he heard the soft thud of the projectile hitting the ground and then a small crunch as it run up against some brush. Next he heard a click and then a laser blast, and then another. They came speeding out of the exact spot where he suspected the soldiers were hiding. He took aim as quickly as possible and started firing on the spot. He saw bolts coming on from the opposite angle and new that Bail had joined him in the firestorm. The Federation Soldiers were caught in the crossfire and would have to move back, retreating from their hiding spot. They would be vulnerable then and the two soldiers from Alderaan would have their first victory.

But the soldiers did the exact opposite of what Jan anticipated, they moved forwards down the path, right towards where they had left Obi Wan hiding in the underbrush. As they moved the angle of fire became too direct and both Jan and Bail had to stop shooting in order to avoid overshooting the troop party and hitting one another. Then Jan saw another astonishing sight. Obi Wan was standing up right in the middle of the path in front of the troops, hands on his hips, head cocked, and completely motionless. For a moment he thought he must be imagining it, this was nothing short of suicidal! The soldiers raised their rifles and began to fire directly at the Jedi. Jan stood and screamed, trying to divert their attention at the last moment, the laser blast that had cut off the cockpit of their escape craft ringing in his ears.

This Kenobi was not hit by the laser blasts from the troopers' weapons though. He flattened to the ground faster than Jan could see him move, and when he sprang back to his feet, he held a glowing sword which hummed loudly through the trees as it moved. At first the great glowing blade swung smoothly through the air in front of Obi Wan as if he was twirling a military baton. As it did the laser bolts crashed into it and rebounded off into the trees. One of the blasts bounced straight back at the troop that fired it and hit him square in the chest plate of his armor, dropping him where he stood.

As he deflected the shots Obi Wan marched slowly forward soon reaching the first of the soldiers and began chopping them down in turn with the radiant weapon. Jan could not help but wince as he saw them fall screaming one after another until all were silent. Obi Wan stood silently over the slaughter and allowed the blade to slowly fade away, appearing to retract back into the cylindrical hilt that the Jedi held in his hand.

The Lieutenant spotted Bail walking back towards the path and quickly made his way towards it as well. "Obi Wan!" he gasped as he saw how many soldiers were laying on the ground. When they had first come upon the party he thought that there were only four or five, but there were now a dozen dead laying along the trail.

Bail was just as overcome with disbelief at the sight of carnage, "I'm glad you're on our side!" he commented, surveying their surroundings for signs of further activity. "I can't believe you were able to take on so many at once!"

Jan removed the helmets of several of the troopers and saw firsthand what Obi Wan and Bail had described to him. The soldiers were all the same, with flat features, young and unworldly eyes. No personality, no hopes. Manufactured for a purpose, and that purpose now fulfilled on a planet far from which they were grown. "I feel almost sorry for them," he remarked gloomily. "They didn't ask for this; they know no better. The Syndicate is just using them as targets for us."

"Not for us specifically," Obi Wan retorted, "Targets for the Republic. But do not feel too badly for them Lieutenant," the Jedi put a hand on Jan's shoulder, "their misery is over, whereas ours has just begun."


	17. Battalion

17.

Anakin brooded in private turmoil in an antechamber of Senator Palpatine's offices until the Senate assembly adjourned and Breha returned. She had only been gone for a few hours, though it had seemed like an eternity. During her absence, a captain of the Republic fleet had spoken to him briefly about the planning for the liberation of Alderaan, and that Anakin could accompany the elite guard that would be the center of the offensive against the forces of the Federation. But the young farm boy was too lost in thought to pay much attention.

He could feel the sword of light that he had used against the bounty hunter in a pocket on the inside of his cloak, and he pulled the worn old garment around him tighter to protect it. The anger he felt then and the jealousy he felt now continued to circle in his mind. He was increasingly embarrassed by his appearance and keenly aware that he was still wearing his filthy clothing from a desert planet. How could Breha see him as anything other than the dirt that covered him? If only he could crawl out of his skin and become someone else so that people would no longer see him as just a simple farm boy. When the captain finally left he gave Anakin papers and some directions as to where to report, but he did not want to move until he could be near Breha again.

She entered through the main reception area and Anakin could feel his heartbeat double and climb rapidly up into his throat. He could tell that all eyes in the room had been drawn to her, and the silence that followed was palpable. She paused and looked around towards the waiting alcove where Anakin sat, and started to run towards him as soon as she spotted him. Anakin stood up and watched as the gown she wore ruffled around her as she ran.

"Anakin!" She shouted happily as she reached him and took his hands in hers. Her eyes sparkled as she caught her breath, "Good news, the senate has passed a resolution to use Republic Forces to invade Alderaan and force out the Federation!"

He couldn't help but smile as she looked up at his with such overwhelming joy. "I figured it must have been going pretty well," he said holding up the papers he had been given. "I think I may have already been drafted!"

Breha took the documents from him and frowned as she looked them over, "Anakin, you've never had any training or gone through the academy, why are they assigning you to one of the ground units?"

"Oh, I think that he said that I needed to be assigned in case something went wrong, just so they could keep track of me, but really I could just tag along as a kind of observer. Apparently the elite forces aren't actually planning to get involved in any of the fighting. They will just be hanging back for support." He took one of the pages back and began to read it for the first time. "by the way, where is the Senator?"

"he had to go along to another emergency meeting right away. You won't believe this, but he was given emergency powers as acting Commander in Chief in the absence of the Chancellor. The Senate felt that a continuing sense of stability was important during such a tumultuous time, and that Palpatine's connection with Alderaan along with his senior status on the cabinet made him the obvious choice." She handed the rest of the papers back to Anakin. "Everything is beginning to go our way. I only hope that Gunray is sensible and stands down when he sees the opposition sent up against him." Then she looked up again and locked eyes with him, "And I don't want to see you hurt either. Just knowing that you were here rooting for me; that helped to give me the strength I needed to stand before the Senate. I'm sorry that I told you not to come with me to Coruscant, and… and I'm really glad that you didn't listen to me. You've been a huge help Anakin, really…"

...

R2 had been waiting quietly and patiently with Anakin while Breha had been in the Senate chamber. He had watched the two humans say goodbye to each other and Anakin had left to report to the squadron assignment that the Captain had left with him. Now the little droid waited again as Breha sat until Senator Palpatine returned and they retired back into his private office. The princess inquired further as to when they could expect the fleet to be leaving for Alderaan.

"It's just wonderful your highness, we will be leaving even earlier than I had thought possible." The Senator sat behind his desk and leaned back, allowing a moment of relaxation after a stressful afternoon of bureaucratic drivel. "The Admiral has recalled all active duty personnel on Coruscant and the fleet should be able to depart in less than 12 hours. With what we have surmised about the strength of the Federation forces, the engagement itself should take less than a day even if they do decide to put up a fight. All in all, I'd say we are in very good shape."

"Did you ask about my request? That I be able to accompany the fleet to Alderaan?" Breha remains standing and had a pleading look in her eyes. She was exhausted to her very core and only wanted to return home. Everything she knew and everything she cared about was back on that blue green planet, and she did not want to stay away any longer than necessary.

The Senator frowned. "Yes, I did your highness… but," he hesitated and looked down at his hands. "Are you quite sure that you wouldn't rather wait until we know it is absolutely safe? I would hate to endanger you in any way."

"Alderaan is all that I care about Senator. If my people are in danger I cannot stand back and allow others to take all the risks. My place and my duty are clear; I will not turn away."

"But you've already gone through so much just to get this far," he looked back up at the princess, looking elegant and regal in front of his enormous polished desk. "Well, I see that you will not be swayed," he gave a begrudged smile. "Perhaps it is time for me to return to Alderaan as well."

Breha smiled genuinely and surprised herself, until that moment she had felt very guarded in the presence of the Senator. "Feeling a sense of duty to your home world as well, Senator?"

Palpatine couldn't help but laugh. "I know I don't get back to Alderaan as often as I should your highness. It really is a shining example for the rest of the Republic and should not be taken for granted. I guess that both of us are learning that the hard way."

…

Anakin had found his way to the headquarters for the Admiralty which was not far removed from the Senate and other government centers on Coruscant. From here he could see shipyards and enormous landing platforms with republic cruisers occupying them by the dozen. Every direction he looked he could not see the end of the massive ships as they stretched kilometers in every direction. Once he had been processed, imaged and tagged for security clearance he was given a brand new uniform and shown to a barracks to change.

The was a bustle of activity as troopers prepared for departure to their assigned craft. Anakin felt out of place and just found an empty bench on which to shed his farmers garb and replace it with the uniform of a private in the republic forces. When he looked in the mirror he hardly recognized himself. The sharp straight lines and clean appearance of this outfit was something he could get used to. He did not look like a rustic bumpkin any more, and was more excited than ever to be a part of, well, whatever this was. He still had never been anywhere other than Tatooine and Coruscant, and had only heard of the trade federation in passing before a few days ago. But if he was going to grow and become something greater and more important, like a captain, admiral, or senator, he would need to begin to learn, and learn fast.

The only Item he took from his old things was the lightsaber. A belt was provided with the uniform and he managed to latch the weapon onto it. He had not been provided with any other ordnance at this point and wasn't sure if they would give him a blaster. But with the saber at his hip he felt ready enough for whatever may come. When he had picked it up in the shuttle that Breha and Jan had crashed in he hadn't even known what it was, taking it as just another tool he was unfamiliar with. After using the sword against the trandoshan bounty hunter though, he slowly realized that it must have belonged to Ben Kenobi, the Jedi that had helped the princess escape from Alderaan. This weapon was a symbol of the fight to help Breha, and he would use it to that end as often as necessary.

He kept his hand on the hilt and took it off of the belt once again. He looked at the simple control handle, trying to feel the astonishing power locked within it. Without even thinking he switched it on and watched the blade spring to life, causing a great glow and a hum of unbridled power. He slowly and gently waved the bright shaft back and forth, up and down; trying to get a feel for the weight and the resistance. The light that the blade was made of was a bluish white, purer and more concentrated at the center and darker and more diffuse at the edges. He had seen how easily it could cut and penetrate, with hardly any additional effort at all.

"Lars!" a voice yelled from the doorway. Anakin looked up and saw a corporal standing there staring at him. He turned the sword off and looked around, now noticing that all of the troopers in the barracks had stopped what they were doing and were watching him instead. He turned back towards the door, feeling self-conscious.

"Let's go," the corporal waved at him to follow. "The captain is ready to board the destroyer and he wants to make sure you don't get lost.

"Sorry," Anakin reattached the hilt to his belt and smoothed his shirt. "I was just getting dressed." He looked back at the bench where he had left his old cloak and satchel. He frowned at them, and then turned to follow. "what's your name?" he asked the corporal as they hurried down a glass gangway to the shuttle bay where they would meet up with the Captain. In the distance Anakin could see a single light fighter depart from the surface.

"Piett," the young man answered. "Corporal Firmus Piett."


	18. Sifo Dyas

18.

The small gray fighter came out of hyperspace and approached the Federation flag ship in high orbit around Alderaan. Warning Sirens sounded within the docking bay as the outer deflectors dropped and the sleek one-man vessel slipped through the blue haze of the inner energy shield. Dozens of the clone soldiers purchased by the syndicate stood at attention along the inner bulkhead of the bay awaiting the arrival of the ship.

Immediately upon touchdown a bright red astromech droid dropped down from within the hull of the fighter to the deck of the landing bay. The droid rolled forward as a boarding ramp descended from the belly of the craft with a crack and hiss of hydraulics and steam and a dull red glow emanated from deep within. A thin figure in a long flowing white robe appeared and descended through the resulting cloud and made his way across the deck. The face was mostly obscured within the cowl of the cloak, the angular features sitting deep in shadow. Walking with such a smooth and unbroken gate that the cloak didn't even seem to be occupied, but rather just floating across the floor as if being drawn by a suspended wire.

The individual stopped in front of one of the clone troops and regarded the soldier with interest. Thin, parchment white hands reached out and removed the helmet from the trooper and threw it aside. The clone soldier flinched slightly but kept at attention while being further scrutinized. The examiner finally pulled back the hood that was concealing his face, revealing the source of the cloned structures. He wore an expression which was partially pride and partially disappointment. He had hoped that the genetic copies would successfully mimic his own unfathomable beauty, but the ultimate result was far from that ideal.

"Oh my child," he murmured softly. "If only they had not rushed the sequencing. You would have been a sight to see! And possibly even force sensitive along with your innumerable twins." He leaned forward and briefly kissed the forehead of the clone, cupping the trooper's cheeks between his palms. "Unfortunately as it is you are nothing but simple blanks, with only enough sound genetic foundation to keep you upright and breathing. Damn Sheeve for being so impatient, after all, the galaxy isn't going anywhere… He could have benefited from the Jedi training that he so easily rejects out of hand. After all, we have the most to learn from those we disagree with, don't we?"

He looked deeply into the clone's eyes but the emptiness that stared back was disquieting, and either the trooper didn't understand the question, or was too frightened to try to formulate an answer. "No, I don't suppose you would understand our quarrels with the established dogma of our once splendid order. Modern interpretations of ancient wisdom can be very dangerous, sometimes deadly, especially when it seems to reinforce those ideas in which we so desperately want to believe."

He turned to walk away but then paused and turned back to the unmasked soldier and tilting his head asked wistfully, "Tell me something my child, do you love me?"

The soldier nodded slightly and furrowed his doughy brow, but finally managed to put the words together, "Yes father, I love you."

"That is nice to hear," the old master smiled. "I love you too, very profoundly." He took a step back and started to walk down the line of troops towards the turbo lift. "I love you all very much!" he said to them as he passed, "and I'm very sorry that any of us got dragged into this mess!"

…

Gunray sat on a suspended throne of soft, pillowy silk which hovered a meter above a raised dais which itself was set above the rest of the space in a large observation bubble, allowing breathtaking views of the lovely planet slowly turning beneath them. The turbo lift door opened and the syndicate leader tensed as he saw the tall white robe exit into his private chamber. The two guards stationed by the lift fell in behind the visitor and followed him to the bottom of the grand steps which led to Gunray's perch.

"Master Sifo Dyas," the leader said with revulsion. In his position having to call anyone else in the galaxy "master" left a bitter taste in his mouth. "An unexpected pleasure, I was not expecting you until the fleet arrived."

Sifo Dyas smiled broadly, acutely able to feel the discomfort of his host. "I wish that I could share in your pleasure, Viceroy," he shrugged his shoulders and spread his arms in disapproval. "But quite frankly I just don't like you very much."

The words echoed around the cool gray room as the Viceroy sat frozen in fury, a scowl growing on his face and his fists clenching. "Then why is it that you have come all of this way to disturb me? Simply to cast insults? You were given strict instructions not to interfere here!"

No, no, no… insulting you is merely a bonus," the master stated and began to ascend the stairs to where the Viceroy sat lounging. Gunray motioned to the guards to stop Sifo Dyas but they were ineffective as the old wizard easily pushed them back down the stairs with only the slightest thought. He reached the dais and walked right past the Viceroy and up to the large observation window. "Circumstances have changed a bit, and you have not lived up to your side of the bargain."

"I've taken full control of the Alderaan system!" Gunray protested. "No one in the galaxy could argue the validity of this aggression! I've removed the Chancellor and will lie down in defeat when the republic forces come. If not for Palpatine's plans I could hold this system indefinitely and profit much more than the bargain I've been given by you."

"But if it weren't for me you would never have had the resources to get this far," Sifo Dyas stated calmly as he continued to gaze out of the window, the swirling clouds from the planet reflecting in his soft blue eyes. "And sadly you were not even able to keep control of the situation with a full blockade around the capitol."

"What do you mean?" the Viceroy shouted, "We have everything under control here!"

"Do you?" Sifo Dyas turned and approached the high throne. "And the royal family? Have they all been executed as requested?"

Gunray shifted uncomfortably in his seat and suddenly felt it begin to sink down. "The ah… the queen and her prince have been removed permanently, master, however," the Viceroy turned his face away and towards the floor which was rapidly approaching. "However we have been unable to locate the princess, and we believe that she is in hiding somewhere outside of the capitol."

"Well, you would be accurate in that assumption my good fellow," the master said as he watched Gunray and the soft material of the throne collapse onto the floor, leaving the viceroy floundering in a knot of silk. "In fact her highness is quite a distance from the capitol of Alderaan, as she is currently on Coruscant, where she recently spoke before the Senate."

Gunray's mouth flapped as he tried to sit up, lost for words or a viable explanation. "We had no ships escape! I was given assurances by my captains!"

"Your lies are only exceeded by your incompetence, you fool!" Sifo Dyas spat and began descending the staircase again. "It seems that a Jedi helped her to escape, which means that you have a problem down on the surface that you are not even aware of. Now I will have to investigate before the republic armada arrives, which doesn't give me much time." He walked past the two guards again which stood aside, unsure of what to do. "I hate to see unnecessary violence you know," he said as he boarded the turbo lift again. "But you may want to think about your story for when Palpatine arrives, he's… not as sentimental as I am."


End file.
